


Guardian Souls - The Demon King

by Derog6



Series: Guardian Souls [1]
Category: Bleach, Disney - All Media Types, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Marvel, Naruto, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game), The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Apocalypse, Crossover, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 16:05:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 68,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16370759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Derog6/pseuds/Derog6
Summary: Earth, 2017. A world steeped in legend and myth. Where fantasy has more of a grip on the populace than reality itself. The inhabitants of the planet, Humans, live average lives of monotonous daily routines. However, what they weren’t aware of was the ‘other side’. A parallel to their world, a domain of good and evil, magic and fantastic events. The veil between them, Fantasy and Reality, was about to be sundered and Humanity caught in the middle. Without any power or knowledge of this, the humans are surely doomed to defeat and enslavement. However, hope remains, hope that humanity can remember their guardians. For with them, the invasion can be repelled and Earth saved. But who among them can bring forth their stalwart defenders? What chosen few will emerge and counter darkness with light?





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Updated and re-posted chapter 1 after some feedback. Hopefully it seems better now.

Earth, 2017 AD. A world steeped in legend and myth. Where fantasy has more of a grip on the populace than reality itself. The inhabitants of the planet, Humans, live average lives of monotonous daily routines. However, what they weren’t aware of was the ‘other side’. A parallel to their world, a domain of good and evil, magic and fantastic events. The veil between them, Fantasy and Reality, was about to be sundered and Humanity caught in the middle. Without any knowledge of this, the humans are surely doomed to defeat and enslavement. However, hope remains, hope that humanity can remember their guardians. For with them, the invasion can be repelled and Earth saved. But who among them can bring forth their stalwart defenders? What chosen few will emerge and counter darkness with light?

Cody walked into the lecture hall early with his lanky body passing between people with relative ease. Other students normally glanced past him since he wasn’t muscular or notably attractive, so he didn’t have to worry about being stopped or getting hit on while he was going about his day. The Mythology class at Eversight College didn’t start for another 10 minutes, and Dr. Grey was known for starting exactly at 2pm. Cody's normal seat was at the table in the back, farthest to the left with the outlets. Being 6’5 was one of the bigger motivators so no one had to look around his head, but being able to plug in his electronics was the biggest reason. Setting his bag onto the ground, he unzipped the big pocket, pulled out his laptop, plugged it in, and immediately started browsing the web for new game mods for the game he and his roommate played, ‘Magiterror’. “Eh? A frostfire mod?” As he clicked into the mod’s info page, he was browsing for other types of mods that were random and unique. He brushed some of his medium length brown hair behind his ear and adjusted his glasses. As he glanced up, he saw his roommate, Tim, and Samantha, Tim’s girlfriend walk in. “Tim! Check this out!” shouting from across the room, it’s almost as if he forgot others were in the room. The college always had strange stories and rumors about it, but with its level of education, affordability, and academic variety, it was not only in the top 15 colleges in the world but also a highly sought out college to attend. Some students looked up and either disregarded Cody, or laughed.

Tim looked up from his tablet, which he was reading the news on. Standing at 5’9” he was taller than average, and he was very lanky, which was not unusual due to the fact that he and Sam took martial arts classes regularly. He spotted Cody sitting in their usual spot in the lecture hall. He walked up and sat in his normal seat, and leaned in, looking at Cody’s laptop screen. “What’s this all about now?” he asked, as Sam sat beside him, putting her chin on his shoulder, which she could do easily at her 5’5” height. 

“Dude! Frostfire mod!” Cody’s deep green eyes lit up as he began highlighting notes and pulling up screenshots, “And it’s awesome! You can set this on top of any of the turrets and it’s a flamethrower that freezes and slows enemies before they get to your fortress. And look, put it in front of a thunder mortar and nothing will survive!” His excitement was quickly ended when he noticed the bugs involved with the mod. “Wait… Not yet supported with other mods? Can freeze game regularly? UUUUGGGGHHHH! … lame.”

Tim laughed, before sitting back in the seat, picking up his tablet again, opening another news page. “Well that tends to happen with mods, the best ones sometimes crash the game.” He started scrolling, as he did, he instinctively pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, putting one in his mouth without lighting it. He kept scrolling as he was waiting for the lecture to begin. Sam sat up with Tim, and pulled out her laptop, “Well, most mods are shoddily put together.” she said, setting up and turning on her laptop, she also opened the notes for the class.

“Kinda like Tim’s floating armor mod.” Without removing his gaze from the screen, Cody slapped Tim on the shoulder and continued to browse mods and simultaneously opened his ‘school notes’ and dictionary.

Tim folded his tablet, turning it into a laptop. “Well, they all aren’t winners. And besides how was I supposed to know it would affect the game’s coding like that?” he said, opening his school notes, just as Dr. Grey walked in, and started taking attendance. 

“Truth.” Cody replied. Dr. Grey started each lecture off with attendance and Cody wasn’t a fan of ALWAYS being first on the list. “Abbott.” Dr. Grey’s voice would boom and reverb off the walls, and just as fast as his name was called, he replied just as fast, “Here!” failing to boom at all. Muttering under his breath as others names were called, “One day I’m going to bring in a megaphone, Tim.”

Sam opened her notes, and was coming up with the questions that she used to quiz Cody and Tim with, when Dr. Grey called out, “Bhenna.” “Here!” she tried calling out loudly, being a mostly soft-spoken person. 

Tim laughed, before looking around, noting everyone looking at him, “Sorry,” he said, shrugging, “Well, that would definitely make you louder, but it would be kind of obnoxious.” he said, opening a page on builds for another game he plays when he isn’t playing ‘Magiterror’ with Cody. “Penn!” Mr. Grey had shouted, as he continued with attendance. “Here!” Tim’s voice booming. Dr. Grey continued down the list. 

Cody opened his ‘School Notes to Myth’ and watched his time clock in the bottom-right corner of his screen hit 2:00 pm. Immediately, the lights dimmed and a projector kicked on, displaying the title of the lecture. Dr. Grey began talking, “Alright class. Last week we talked about the myth of Excalibur. This week, we are talking about the ‘Twin-Soul’, Gemini.” Cody’s ear perked up. He pushed his hair out of the way and sat up properly in his chair. Cody didn’t know why, but this particular lecture sounded intriguing. Nudging a bit at Tim to stay focused, he began typing everything he could. Dr. Grey continued, “Now, there are a lot of ideas based around the concept of Gemini, not just a lot of horoscope nonsense. One idea is that Gemini was given the name of ‘Twin-Soul’ like he had two souls within him. It’s said that thousands of years ago, he was summoned to the temple of Buddha in Kinkaku-ji to stop a dragon from terrorizing the area. However, the dragon would only speak in riddle, and would destroy those who failed with his firebreath then eat them. Gemini walked up to the dragon to answer the riddle, which was ‘Shénme shì bù kěnéng gàosù jí kě shā sǐ?’ which translates into ‘What is impossible to tell coming and can kill?’. Gemini answered with, “Depression.” Confused and confounded, the dragon didn’t keep its word for feeling like it had been taken as a fool. The gods saw this as unfair, and struck it down where it stood.” Tim rubbed his hazel eyes, and popped his neck in an attempt to stay awake. He watched the screen as Dr. Grey spoke, finding a couple of typos in the powerpoint. His eyesight tended to be better than the other students’, able to pick out subtle details without much effort. It also happened to be why he and Cody sat in the back, as he was able to see at any distance in the lecture hall. “Now, there are some that actually tell the tale taking place in Australia in The Snowy Mountains, informally known as ‘The Snowies’ by locals. They tell it as Gemini being a possessor of a rare magic that burned of fire but froze all things at its touch. His name of ‘Twin-Soul’ ironically is kept in this spinning of the tale as well, but his fell on the sense of ‘Twin-Flame’ or ‘a person who you feel connected to not just on a physical and emotional level, but also on a soulful or spiritual level’. He fell in love with tons of people, guy or girl, but only those who matched his soul. However, they all froze to death upon his touch. After many perished loves, he left for the north pole and froze the entire area in a shout of grief. Tragic, but far less interesting. There are still modern teachings of Twin-Flames still in Australia to this day. Other lesser known tales talk about the binding of dying twins to a deities will, but ultimately watching them murge and die, and Gemini not even being a deity at all, but the essence of Fire and Ice, Yin and Yang, Good and Evil. So, let’s start with an exercise.” Cody was enthralled with the lecture, which actually vastly confused Tim, mainly because it was hard for Cody to focus on anything that wasn’t a video game or music. He would take notes for days, but it was a nice change for Tim to see him actually enjoying a lecture instead of creating mods. Sam was pulling her black and red hair up into a ponytail, strands of her bangs falling down into her face. She pushed up her red glasses and continued typing her notes. Cody nudged at Tim’s side with his elbow again and leaned in while maintaining eye contact with the lecture screen up front, and whispered, “Dude, this guy sounded awesome!”

Tim shrugged, “Interesting?” he said, scratching his head in confusion. “Wouldn’t Gemini be considered a form of multiple personality?” he asked, looking between Sam and Cody as he took off his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair.

Sam shook her head, “Perhaps the story is flawed?” she asked, looking at Cody and Tim.

Cody turned his head to the two of them, “That would make sense, if he was consistently portrayed as such, but he has so many different reflections. Almost like there are multiple Gemini’s?” Cody turned back to his laptop and started typing away, his laptop was actually really high tech as the keyboard didn’t make sounds, but if it did, it would have disrupted the class for sure with how many keys he was hitting. At 2:45pm, Dr. Grey finished his lecture and promptly walked out in his routine fashion. Cody was slipping his laptop back into his bag and looked at his friends, “Dudes, foods?”

Tim shrugged, “I’m down,” he said, folding his tablet. He straightened his tie, and threw his jacket back on, tucking his tablet into his jacket pocket, before buttoning the first button. It confused everyone why Tim decided to wear a black suit all the time. “Where should we go to eat?” he asked, starting for the door.

Sam looked at Cody, then got up, and followed Tim, and latched onto his arm. “What sounds good to eat?” she asked, keeping pace with Tim. As she followed, Sam took her hair tie out, letting her shoulder-length hair down. She shook her head, and pushed her hair out of her face. 

Standing up and quickly walking to catch up to Tim and Sam, he threw his arm around his roommate’s neck, “You guys feeling chinese, or GOOD chinese? Cause I am feeling GOOOOOOOOD chinese.” He said, letting a smile out. The college, in Ashemore, North Carolina, had been known as the Biltmore Estate before being converted into a college in 1967 AD and had several buildings added between 1977-1992, so a lot of the local shopping and such was relatively new. Heading out of the main building, they made their way towards Approach Rd, which was no longer a one-way road anymore, a detail that really took time to get used to by locals. There was a lot of students sitting on the huge lawn outside the entrance. Some were tossing a football, some requesting others to join clubs, and others singing random songs about trees and sweaters. As they rounded the fence to the campus, Cody hopped in front of Tim and started walking backwards. There was no one in front of the three’s path when he looked, so he didn’t feel the need to worry about running into anyone. “So, Tim, what about this. Megaflare Mortar. Eh? Catchy name and could mean anything.”

Sam sighed, watching as Cody walked, and noticed a figure rounding the corner. “Ummm… Cody?” she said, just before Cody ran into the unknown male.

Braiden was on his way to the nurse's office due to the fact he had a splitting headache at the moment. Which was rather uncommon for him so he felt it was prudent to go see someone who might be able to assist him. He was rounding a corner when he smacked into someone walking backwards. Being 6’3 and mostly solid muscle with thick legs and a dense chest, he barreled them right over. “I’m so sorry about that, wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Cody was sent falling to his side from an impact he wasn't expecting. “It's fine, walking backwards was almost asking for it.” He stood up, brushed off the grass, and looked at the guy who ran into him. “Oh, hey. We haven't met, have we? I'm Cody.” He reached his hand for a handshake, saw grass on it, brushed his hand against his jacket, then offered it again.

Blinking a few times and hesitantly shaking the offered hand he forced a small smile. “Braiden.” he said simply then glanced to the other guy standing with Cody. “You are?” Braiden blinked several more times as his light blue eyes were sensitive to light and his short dirty blonde hair did little to help to shield them.

Tim just waved. “Tim.” he said, simply. He reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a lighter. Flipping it open, he clicked it, lighting and inhaling off of the cigarette he had in his lip from before. 

Sam smiled, “Sam. pleasure to meet you, Braiden.”

Braiden nodded and forced another small smile. “Nice meeting you, excuse me.” He then moved around the three and kept on his way to the nurse's office, but as he walked away he paused for a moment and looked back. ‘Odd’ He thought to himself before walking out of sight and gripping his head again in pain. 

“Huh, strange.” As Cody watched Braiden leave, he felt a very strange and vague sense of deja vu. He shook his head and turned around, “Oh well, CHINESE!” Cody turned and continued on his way, not even paying attention if the others were following.

Tim followed behind, Cody walking slightly ahead of him. “Wonder what that other guy goes here for.” he said, before shaking his head, pushing the thought out of his mind, he walked, catching up to Cody. “So chinese, huh? Why do I feel like you are obsessed?” he asked, tossing his finished cigarette aside. 

“Dude, it's freaking Chinese food. You know, egg row, fry rice, sweet and sowah chicky!” His poor mockery of a bad Asian accent was really sad, but kinda funny to himself.

Tim chuckled a bit while Sam looked at Cody with a quirked eyebrow, as she too laughed. A few minutes later, they made it to Scazie Rd, a recently made street with a strip mall. It wasn’t far from campus, making it popular for students to frequent. When they arrived at the chinese restaurant, Tim opened the door, motioning for Cody to go through. 

“Don't mind if I-” Cody walked in and slowly came to a halt. His head hurt, it was common for him to get headaches and he had medication for it that covered his mild bipolar breakouts as well, but this one was different. Grabbing his head, he turned around, “-uhm… maybe we should get something else?” Not being able to place just exactly what was going on, he could only tell that he didn't feel comfortable anymore, like half of him was begging to leave while the other half was demanding to stay.

Sam followed Cody through, soon after Tim followed. She looked between them, and looked confused, “Now you decide this?” she asked, looking at the menu on the wall above the kitchen. There was a fairly small line of people, but still would be a wait.

Tim chuckled at Sam’s comment, before turning to Cody, “What did you have in mind?” he asked, starting back out the door, Sam following close behind.

“How about some pizza, or anything actually. Something that I can take my meds with...” Cody walked fairly quickly out of the restaurant, holding his head. About 6 minutes later as they were walking through the campus gates and towards the cafeteria where Pizzatastic was, there was a small boom.

Sam jumped, and clung tight to Tim’s arm, and squeaked a bit.

Tim looked around for the source of the sound. Not finding anything, he turned to Cody, “What do you think that was?” he asked his roommate.

Cody was looking in the direction of the Chinese restaurant, and his heart fell into his stomach, “It came from AsiaWok.”

Tim started in the direction of the restaurant. “What do you think it was? A fryer exploding?” he asked, dragging his roommate by the arm, his girlfriend still clinging, keeping pace.

Cody tugged back, “Hey, why are we going towards it? Explosions normally mean anything from ‘Your fry rice is overfry’ to ‘Your base is under attack’. Not, ‘Let’s run towards the doom and death and risk life and limb for a bad selfie, a souvenir, and burnt general tso’s!’, right?” He was uncomfortable with the idea altogether. Suddenly, a bigger explosion went off, this time visibly at the restaurant. Cody's eyes began to shake, “Dude, call 911!” He stood still, not knowing what to do.

Tim shook his head, knowing he was right. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. A woman answered, “911, what’s your emergency?” Tim’s voice sharply replied, “There has been an explosion at the stripmall on Scazie Road.” he then hung up, continuing towards Pizzatastic. “You coming?” Tim said to his roommate.

“Y-yeah…” Cody was in shock of the whole incident, and was still was trying to process everything. His head was splitting, his eyes feeling the most of it. As they made it to Pizzatastic, Cody was quiet. Even when ordering pizza, he didn't say much. Then again, everyone around them were talking about the explosions. In passing, someone even said, “Like, I heard Dr. G was eating there.” Cody wasn’t able to eat, “You know… that could have been us…” His normally positive mood was drowned out. “... You think Grey was in there?”

Tim shook his head, “I don’t know. He did get there before us, so it would make sense that he would have been gone in time.” he said, finishing his slice. Tim had never been one to ‘properly’ express himself. His reactions tended to be rather dull, and almost inhuman. He reached for another, and grinned, biting into it.

Sam was slowly nibbling on a second slice of pizza, seemingly a bit shaken up. “I hope he made it out ok.” she said, a tone of concern prominent in her voice. She had spent the past several minutes trying Dr. Grey’s cellphone, but got a disconnection message. She looked at Tim, who wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him.

Braiden was back in his room after seeing the nurse. She had given him some pain meds and told him to drink plenty of fluids and rest for the day. He had heard about the explosions of course but wasn’t sure what do about them. He had noticed that the two guys he had run into earlier shared the same dorm as he did. Odd, he had never noticed them before. He was sitting quietly in his single room when there was a rather loud bang and then a piercing scream. He bolted upright, head banging intensely. “What the?”

Cody jerked his head up. Everyone heard a bang and a scream. “What the heck?” Throwing back the chair, he grabbed his bag and started running towards the scream, “Guys, hurry up! It was the dorm!”

Tim got up, following Cody, “What was that about not running towards the screams?” he asked, jokingly.

Sam got up, chasing after the two, “Yeah. You definitely were against the idea just half an hour ago.” she said. Her small frame allowed her to keep a decent pace, but not close to a track runner.

“I know! But after an explosion? What if people are in danger? What if it’s our room?” Cody was moving faster than Tim and Sam could run, and with his headache getting worse, he was not in the mood to stop and argue.

Tim sighed, shaking his head, “If your cricket, Jeff, dies, it’s whatever. The computer and game system on the other hand….” he rambled on.

Braiden was looking around the dorm and came upon a hole in a wall into a room. Inside the room sat this gangly looking ‘thing’ It was grotesque and Braiden nearly vomited from the sight. It turned around and he could see it had been eating some girl. He took a couple of steps back and tripped and fell over backwards. Next he looked up, the creature was standing over him. His face paled and he froze.

Tim, Sam, and Cody had just made it up the stairs. Tim stopped and put his arm out for Sam to stop as well. “Isn’t that that Braiden guy?” he asked pointing at the figure, frozen in fear.

Cody stood for a moment, looking at Braiden, then started running towards him, “Dude, you okay? What happened?”

Braiden merely pointed at the grotesque thing standing above him and whimpered.

Sam’s eyes widened a bit at the creature. “Ummm… Cody…” she started to say as she and Tim started towards the others.

Cody, now not tunnel visioned, looked up and saw a classmate from bio-chem, hovering over Braiden. “Emily, you're covered in blood!” He felt a little woozy after seeing so much blood. 

Tim and Sam stopped where the other two were, Tim extending a hand to help Braiden up. “Here.” he said. Sam pulled Tim’s sleeve, pointing. “Tim… I’m not sure that’s Emily…” Tim helped Braiden to his feet, when he looked at what Sam was looking at.

‘Emily’ had turned to them and spoke sorta muttered words, like terror and recent coughing had taken her voice, “H-he was gonna kill me. Don't just stand there, kill him!” Cody was shocked, Emily was a vegan who wouldn't kill a fly, so why the sudden change of personality. “Emily, are you okay? Let's sit down, you might be injured and in shock. Tim, call 911 and get someone over here. It’s gonna be okay.”

Braiden stood up looking shocked and confused. He then forcefully grabbed Tim and Cody’s faces and turned them to Emily’s body on the floor in the room partially eaten. He then turned them back to the creature.

Cody saw Emily's dead body, then the living body. He took a double take, and when he looked back at the living Emily, she was a bloody, demon-like, bear-shaped, skeletal creature. “OH MY GOD! RUN!” He immediately grab both Sam and Braiden by their arms and started running towards the fire escape with Tim very close behind. His thought rushed, ‘Emily is dead’ ‘How do we escape!?’ ‘How do I kill it?’ ‘I can't fight that thing’ ‘I forgot to eat’ ‘No, don’t pass out now’ ‘Stay’ ‘Run’ ‘Stay’ ‘Run’, so many thoughts all at once, he felt sick. He took a moment to turn around and saw the creature chasing and gaining on them. His head began pounding even harder.

Tim turned around, noticing the creature’s speed. “Hmm. interesting.” he said, noting the way it strided. “Hey Cody, get Sam and Braiden out of here. I would like to try something.” He stopped and assumed a defensive stance. “Come here you big lug.” Tim tended to put himself into situations that Cody would ridicule him for, even though he would be fine most of the time. 

Sam broke from Cody’s grip, ran back to Tim, and stood just behind him readying to attack as well. She drew a pair of six inch knives she kept sheathed at her thighs. Holding them in a reverse grip, the blades ran along her forearms. 

“Are you both literally crazy?” Cody stopped, let go of Braiden, and turned around. At this point, he was sure he passed out and it was all a dream. He looked around and picked up a metal boomerang that was left on the ground and readied to throw. If that monster as much as scratched Tim, he planned on throwing it at the things face and then trying to kill it somehow.

Braiden was standing there watching the scene unfold in slow motion he couldn’t think clearly, it was like something was fogging up his mind with this image of something golden….golden armor…..a person in golden armor? A name suddenly came to mind and he spoke it without meaning to. “Gilgamesh” There was a moment where a bright golden light erupted behind Braiden and then an explosion. Braiden coughed and rubbed the dust out of his eyes and looked at the now dead thing on the floor with a massive sword through it. He then heard a “Hmph” He turned around and there was that golden armored person.  
“It’s about time you remembered me, I only have so much patience for my vassals.” He looked regal, and divine and...bored. “I’m sorry, you are?” Braiden asked as the man rolled his eyes and dissipated in golden sparkles. Braiden then turned back around to Cody and Tim.

Cody stood still. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what just happened. The boomerang slowly slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. “Wh… what just… I don't…” He turned to Braiden and stared.

Tim sighed, watching the creature start to turn to dust. “That person seemed familiar.” he said, turning to the others. 

“Familiar? What about ANY of that was familiar?! Emily is dead, that THING existed, and a dude in golden sparkles just impaled it and then glitter-fairied away! And all you have to say is ‘He seemed familiar’? This is a dream, a NIGHTMARE! I gotta wake up!” Cody started pacing frantically while grabbing at his head. Nothing about this moment in time made sense and he felt his grip on sanity fading.

Braiden shook his head and looked at the sword still stuck in the ground. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out. Immediately he felt like he had been holding and using a sword his whole life. He swung it around and performed a few flourishes expertly. “Huh, odd.” He then looked at Cody and Tim. “Obviously things are not what they seem, and our world has more to it. We need to find out what’s going on and if this is an isolated incident.” Just as he was about turn and move, the sword in his hand vanished.

Sam slipped past the corpse of the creature, running towards Tim and Cody’s room. She was relieved to find that nothing inside had been touched. Some things had fallen over due to the explosion, but otherwise the room was fine.

Tim sighed before opening the fire escape door. “Let’s go. You’re right, we need to figure out what the HELL is going on.” he stepped outside, lighting a fresh cigarette.

Sam ran up, having come from Tim and Cody’s room and had grabbed the bags with the chargers for the tablets and laptops. “Ok, so we have these, we could probably tap into the WiFi at the Burger Duke?” She remembered that that place was nearby.

Cody, still confused, pulled out his phone, it was 5:36pm. His head was throbbing and he felt faint, but he felt he could manage some level of mental stability. “Look, Braiden, I'm okay with this ‘find things out’ thing, but if we are going to detective it up, can we call the cops first? There is a dead body and we should give statements. Plus, I didn’t eat much and this headache is going to be the death of me.”

Braiden thought for a moment and nodded. “Let’s make it quick, no telling how long things will stay organized.” He pulled out his phone and called the local police. Once they showed up, they asked for statements and as a unanimous statement from everyone there, they said they showed up after the explosion and found Emily as such. About 45 minutes later, they were all let go and made their way to Burger Duke.

Tim lit a cigarette as they walked. Sam was still trying to get a response from Grey. “Please be ok.” Tim wrapped his arm around her as the group arrived at the Burger Duke on the corner of Scazie Rd and Vanderbilt Rd. Opening the door, Tim let the others through before he himself entered. Since it was so close to the AsiaWok, there wasn’t a lot of people there, an elderly couple near the seats at the door and a person who was grabbing their to-go order. The group ordered, and Tim carried his and Sam’s food to a table in one of the corner booths. Setting them down, they began eating.

Cody took a bite of his cannonburger, named for some odd reason after a cannon when it's a cheeseburger with jalapeños, and took a sip of his drink to swallow his meds. “Okay, so, I- Eck, that’ll never taste good. Anyways, I have a few questions. First, aside from the fact that this all seems like a grotesque nightmarish fever-dream, Braiden, what happened? That guy made direct conversation with you. Then glitter-fairied away.”

Braiden was munching on some nachos. “No idea, his image popped into my head and then his name. Then I had uncontrollably spoke his name and he appeared. Then he killed the thing, called me his vassal and then vanished.” he thought about the sword and for a moment felt it in his hand. Just as quickly the feeling vanished again.

Sam pulled out Tim’s and her tablets, set them up on the wifi, and began searching for other possible incidents that matched what occured.

Tim finished eating and was sipping on his cola when he said, “You spoke the name Gilgamesh. Why does that name, paired with that figure we saw, seem extremely familiar?” he asked, scratching his chin.

Sam was snacking on Tim’s fries and scrolling through various news sites on the two tablets, “Seemed strange the way he just vanished in a flash of gold.” 

Braiden tilted his head to the side and shrugged. “No idea, I know the name seems familiar. But I can’t place it.”

Tim turned to Cody. “Didn’t we read about this Gilgamesh in one of our classes?” he asked, hoping his friend paid better attention during lectures.

“Technically, we did about…” Cody pulled his laptop out of his bag, opened it up, and began searching through his ‘School notes of Myth’, “Maybe 5 lectures ago? Let’s see… There was something about part-god part-human, king of Babylonia, pissed off the gods and they got angry. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to that lecture, I was trying to balance the laser turrets, make them more realistic.” As he was looking over his notes, he noticed Braiden kind of staring blankly, and his eyes widen a bit.

“That’s right, I remember now.” He cleared his throat and sort of went into an almost trance like state while explaining. “Gilgamesh was born from the product of a god and a human woman, but unlike other demigods he was born to be a guardian of mankind, so he’s ¾ god and ¼ human to have a higher divine status. As a young child he was really kind and caring of the people, but the gods foresaw in him the capacity to be a tyrant. And so they created a watcher, a thing made from earth and granted it a soul. This thing took on a form of the first human it saw and named itself Enkidu. It watched Gilgamesh for many years confused as to why the gods would send it to watch him. As he seemed kind and wise.” Braiden took a deep breath before continuing. “However, as he got older the Tyrant side started to manifest and so Enkidu made a move to take him out before it got any worse. The resulting battle lasted for 7 days and formed the nile river along with a few other natural formations. Eventually it was a stalemate as neither could win. So, they decided to become friends instead and, with Enkidu’s influence, Gilgamesh turned away from the Tyrant side and become a wise king. He was still self centered and arrogant, but he did rule his people justly.” Braiden took a drink from his soda and sighed. “The gods, no longer seeing fit to keep Enkidu around as he had served his purpose, killed him. Taking away Gilgamesh’s one and only true friend, this angered Gilgamesh and so he sought out the pet of a god and killed it, thus angering the gods. They then tried to send many things to kill Gilgamesh but they never succeeded. And so, when Gilgamesh died, he was kept out of heaven and hell as no god could or would take him. What happened to him after that, no one knows.” He then breathed normally and shook his head. “That was odd, but there you have it.”

Tim thought momentarily. “But if he was a myth, and that is the legend, how is he still alive? Is he not in our reality?” he asked, tapping the jacket pocket that has his cigarettes in it. 

Sam noticed the tap and sighed, having put the tablets in Tim’s bag which she also managed to grab from their room. “Seemed like something similar to a portal had opened up.” she said while leaning against Tim, feeling slightly tired.

Cody peaked his head up from his laptop, “Technically… No one was able to prove myths not ever existing, and some myths are actually legends of real people, just twisted more into fantasy. It’s kind of like that ‘He said she said’ thing. Each different tale told of the same myth has a link to each other. Each has a truth to it. Even if they varied slightly to a lot, they had the same basic idea. If they weren’t at one point real, then stories would be 100% different, or all completely impossible. Take for example, the King of Babylonia being Gilgamesh, it’s not totally impossible. Enkidu, he was referenced many times by Grey as well. But with the appearing thing, he said something that has bothered me. ‘It’s about time you remembered me’. And that’s where I start to wonder, are myths literally forgotten or hiding? And why would he call you a vessel?” Braiden picked up his drink, and without thinking, said, “Vassal.” Then took a sip. “Okay… Vassal. Still, why you?” Cody was searching the internet for more odd incidents around the world and mods while typing things down. Ironically one of the only good multitasking skills he had.

Sam grumbled as Tim went to stand up, which required her to stand up as well. Tim gathered up the trays, and trash, throwing away the trash in the cans and placing the trays in the designated spot. He then walked over to the table. “You really should convert to a tablet. One like I have, Cody.” he said, sitting back down at the table. Sam leaned back against him.

“Dude, this is literally a supercomputer on a laptop. I can do 7 things your tablet can’t. Example one,” He flipped the screen around and pushed it down and it became a touchpad screen. “Also, there was only one other recorded incident recently. And it was a claimed UFO crash site. Other then that, AsiaWok’s explosion and Emily are the only other ones. And the explosion happened in the dining area. That would imply a bomb, but there wasn’t anything over in the corner according to what the report says… Still can’t believe we were almost in that.” 

“Implies a bomb? There is not a lot of things that could cause the same kind of explosion. But the fact that there is a UFO crash site too makes one wonder.” Tim said, nudging Sam. She looked up at him, glaring playfully. She and Tim stood up, not long before Tim started for the door, fresh cigarette in his mouth. “Come on guys, walk and talk.” he said, exiting the building, lighting it.

Cody stood up, packed his laptop, and followed with Braiden behind him. “So UFO sightings aren’t really rare to make up, but a freaking bomb is. And then throwing a skeletal demon into the mix makes this all seem so made up, and I’d believe it was made up, if not that I saw it all.” He looked at the time on his phone, 7:02pm, “So, where are we sleeping tonight? I don’t think the dorms are open anymore since the police showed up.”

Braiden cleared his throat. “I have a place we can stay that’s not too far, about a 15 minute drive. We can crash there for the night.” He pulled out his car keys.

“I’m fine with that, but can I grab a change of clothes?” Cody looked down at his shirt, which was a red camo shirt, so you couldn’t see the blood, but it was there. “Maybe a shower?”

Sam laughed a bit as she was trying to wipe away some of the blood on Tim’s white button-up shirt. “You both could use a shower,” she said before kissing Tim lightly on the cheek.

“Change of clothes sounds good,” Tim said, looking at his clothes. “This was my favorite jacket too.” he said, trying to get the blood out. 

“Just grab another one. You have like 4 others exactly the same, right?” Cody laughed a bit and then smiled light-heartedly. ‘At least things are starting to feel a bit normal again’ He thought. When they got to the dorm, there were cop cars all over. As they made their way to the main lobby door, a cop had walked up. “I’m sorry, but this area is off limits.” Cody held up his student ID, “I’m a student, can I run in and grab a change of clothes?” “As I said, the area is off limits.”

Braiden sighed and shook his head. “I have several sets of spare clothes at my place. Use those for now until we can claim our stuff from the dorms.” He then started heading back to the car.

“Well… I guess that’s that.” Cody followed Braiden. When the car was within 15 feet, he pushed Tim out of the way and sprinted towards the passenger seat. “Shotgun!”

Tim staggered a bit, “Wow, real mature,” he said, walking over to the car and getting in the back seat, “Well then. Away, Sir Braiden!” he said, almost sarcastically.

Sam laughed as she got into the car. She sat in the seat next to Tim and rested her head against his chest, slowly dozed off for the trip.

Braiden drove for a few minutes and they came up on a rather decent sized mansion. “It’s my uncle's place, he’s out of country right now and he gave me a key. So it’s all ours right now.” The mansion was quiet and dark, Braiden flipped a few switches and everything kicked on. The mansion was made of brick and 2 stories, and had at least 30 rooms. “This way to the spare closet.” As he guided them, it was easily noticed that he house was full of artwork and various other collectible pieces. “My uncle is a rather famous archaeologist and many of these are from his various digs.” 

Cody was walking very slowly as he admired the art and various other novelties around the house. A few items caught his eyes, and one stopped him completely. “Braiden, what’s this one?” The picture seemed old and stained by the sun, but it was a remarkable piece depicting fire and ice existing in harmony with electricity passing through them both.

Braiden stopped and looked at it. “Oh, that one. My uncle found it in a dig in Greece a few years ago. The experts couldn’t really identify its origin, but he always felt it somehow pertained to Zeus’ lost sons, twins or something.”

Cody glared at it for a while, “It’s… oddly calming.” He only broke eye contact when Braiden tapped him on the shoulder and motioned to follow again.

After going down a couple hallways, they reached a closet that could’ve been a three car garage just full of various clothes. “Take your pick.” 

Tim looked around, shocked at the size of the ‘closet’, “This is your spare closet?” he asked before heading to the clothes hanging. He looked through the piles, finding several pairs of black slacks, gray long sleeve button up shirts, vests, and blazers. “Ah perfect. And all my size.” he said, hunting through the hats. “Ah, here it is,” he said, spinning a fedora and placing it on his head. Grinning, he looked at Cody, “What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it's exactly the same as the 3 you already own.” Cody replied with a chuckle and was hunting for anything. He found a nifty button up white and red-striped shirt, some light brown cargo shorts, and a nice scarf. After changing, he turned the corner and looked at Tim, throwing the tip of the scarf over his shoulder, wrapping it loosely around his neck, “How about this? Fancy, right?”

Sam looked at the two as she had found a couple of t-shirts and skinny jeans for the short duration of their stay. “I’m set here.” She walked over to Tim with a small smile on her face.

Tim chuckled a bit, “It’s very… you.” he said, taking off the fedora and tucking it under his arm. “So, now what?” he asked Braiden.

Sam took the hat out from under Tim’s arm, put it on, and grinned before walking over to the door. “I’d like to do some research, or nap. One of the two.” She said, stretching a bit.

“Didn’t you sleep in the car?” Cody said to Sam.

Sam looked at Cody, “Yes, but at the same time, still tired. All of this is a lot to take in.” she said.

Braiden shrugged. “There’s a gaming room we can kill time in. I’ll be doing some research on what’s going on until I’m tired and crash. I feel like we should all stick together though, just in case.”

“Gaming it is!” Cody started hopping in place. Clearly he had stress to break and games was a solution.

Tim thought for a moment, “Is there a bedroom?” he asked, feeling rather tired from the day.

“Dude, games.” Cody made it sound almost like he was being betrayed.

Tim sighed before motioning. “Lead the way.” he said, caving to his roommate’s decision. He tucked the shirts, pants, and vests under his arm, hanging the two blazers over his one shoulder with a hooked finger. Sam was not far behind, looking over the two t-shirts she had found.

“Score!” Cody excitedly walked forward, out of the spare closet, and promptly halted. Turning with an embarrassed face, he looked at Braiden, “So… where is this gaming room?” He laughed.

Braiden half smiled and chuckled. “This way.” He led them down several more hallways and to a large room with an air hockey table, foosball table, a PS4 Pro connected to a 60 inch flat screen, a Xbox one X also connected to a 60 inch screen, and 4 computers connected to large curved 4k monitors. “Have fun, use what you like. There’s also a fridge and pantry over there that stays stocked.” He gestured to the other side of the room which had a large comfy couch and a projector screen T.V. Braiden hopped onto one of the computers and began researching on the internet.

Tim looked at all of the stuff. “Oooo, computers!” he said, heading over to one of the computers. He pulled up a list of the games on it and found Magiterror. “Yes!” he said, immediately importing his mods from his Sharebox Net storage, including the Floating Armor Mod, which inevitably crashed the game. “Well that one still doesn’t work” he said, removing it.

Sam sat in the chair next to Tim. Resting her chin on his arm, she watched as he worked. “So….” she said, looking at the others before returning her eyes to Tim’s screen.

“Not everything can be perfect like my crasher ray mod.” Cody knew he was right on only one count, and that was because that was his only fully functioning mod. It was so well made that it was adapted into the 2.6 patch as a normal weapon and he got a small gratuity check from it, which helped with his tuition. Track got him a scholarship and was what kept him in college, since his grades didn't, and Chess Club kept him coming back. He never lost a match, even when up against some of the highest difficulty computer AI’s.

“You got lucky and you know it!” Tim said, closing Magiterror and opening DOOMED. “Now this is a game.” he said, playing the rebooted game.

Sam looked at Tim, “Lucky seemed pretty good though, hon.” she said, patting Tim on the back.

Cody sat there for a moment, then grabbed his bag for his laptop. “So, in theory, Gilgamesh was summoned, for lack of more accurate terms, yes?” He didn't even look up as he started his computer and opened up magiterror and the editor.

Braiden turned around looking a little pale faced, but nodded. “Uhm, guys? There’s been recorded attacks all over the world, the death count is over 50,000 so far. There are numerous videos of these things cropping up everywhere. So far, most of the incidents have taken place in Europe and the East. The US, Canada, and South America have been lucky so far with only a few cases.” He pulled up several images of different types of things, a few of them looked like the one they encountered earlier.

Sam had a pale look on her face. She stood up, walked over to the couch, sat down, and rested her chin on one knee. “How do we defeat something like this?” she asked.

“Defeat? You mean you wanna actively go out and fight crazy skeletal demon things that can rip apart bone? Has there been any records of the things being killed yet? Aside from Mister Glitter doing it?” Cody asked as he looked from Sam to Braiden.

Tim thought for a moment, closing out the game. He stood, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out his rolled up tablet. “What locations were they? Specific cities?” he said, turning on his tablet, ready to mark locations on the map.

Braiden looked at Tim. “Most of them occurred in the capital cities, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and the like. There were a few attacks in smaller suburbs, but it also looks like high ranking government officials have been taken out. And then various other random people.”

“Okay, so, as I said, not derailing at all, but you ‘summoned’ Gilgamesh, yes?” Cody was typing up things left and right, but it looked like it was all in the Magiterror editor.

Braiden sighed, “I don’t know if I did or didn’t, I guess that could be an appropriate word.”

“Okay… So, major cities, major targets, major chaos… Sudden Hero appears and takes out enemy… So, Tim, does this sound like anything we’ve dealt with before, a game or two, maybe?” Cody was scrolling through program text and other enemy data throughout Magiterror. 

Tim thought for a moment. “It sounds like most of the Call of Responsibility series. Hit a capitol, blast a bunch of stuff, or rather just cause destruction, then mass panic ensues. Sounds typical of terrorist tactics.” he said, pacing back and forth.

“But that’s my biggest concern, the enemies are standard in plot but advanced in action. And the fact that Gilgamesh exists also interests me. Grey talked about myths like they were real, but the tales about them were made up. Like overhyping a hero to find out they were an NPC, and he was able to see through it.” Cody sat for a moment, pulled up a video from the net of the same kind of skeletal demon attacking a state park in New York. “Right here, it’s so basic how they attack these places, but they aren’t running like bulls, they are almost hunting, and that’s what confused me.”

Braiden was reading articles and watching 4 live streams for up to date info. “They seem to be targeting specific people and ignoring others completely then running off. They have yet to find a lin…” Braiden stopped dead and was watching one of the streams. “But, isn’t that.....Hercules?” On the stream a person that one of the, now called, demons was trying to attack was fighting back with a big brute of a guy who clearly resembled Hercules. Who honestly, seemed to pop out of nowhere. “Like Gilgamesh.”

“Can you show it on a big screen?” Cody looked up from his laptop and looked towards Braiden, he didn’t know what to think at this point, but he knew answers would start showing up soon.

Braiden nodded and broadcasted to the projector which displayed it on the wall. “See?” Hercules was fighting off several of the demons quite well with the person doing something that looked like healing.

Sam looked in awe. “Woah…” she simply said.

“Is that healing?” Cody was intrigued, not that he knew how they were doing it, but more like he was waiting for it to happen. Braiden already had it happen, and there was something about Myths that stuck out to him. Maybe that was it. “Braiden, have you ever thought about Gilgamesh before the events of the past 24 hours?”

Braiden thought for a moment. “Not directly, no. I’ve had flashes of a golden image, but nothing like earlier.”

“That’s… not what I was expecting.” Cody started searching through his notes from past myth lectures and read from week to week, only to stumble upon a very specific set of typos. “Uhm… Tim… what Myth did we study today?” He motioned for Tim to walk over to his side.

Tim thought for a moment before opening a file on his tablet. He then connected his tablet wirelessly through Braiden's computer, putting it on the screen. “Gemini,” he said, pointing to the wall. 

Cody looked through his notes briefly, “Ignis Glacius is what I have here, But here...” he trailed off as his focus began to feel strained.

Sam shook her head, “Ignis Glacius just sounds off.” she said, reaching into Tim’s other jacket pocket and pulling out her tablet. She opened up the school notes, seeing that they were the same as Tim’s. “Hmm….” she then sighed before rolling up her tablet. 

Cody looked at his notes even further, and every time Gemini was to be written, it was replaced with different references to the names of the Gemini myth. “Okay…” confused, he decided to move on. Scrolling through more notes, he found the lecture notes for Hercules.

Tim sighed, “But how does reading these notes allow us to “summon” more of those things to fight the beasts?” he said, pointing to Braiden. “He summoned Gilgamesh accidentally.” rolling his tablet up.

“Braiden, can you rewind that and see if there's footage of Hercules showing up?” Cody set down his laptop and waited for an answer.

Braiden rewound the video to the point right before Hercules showed up and then played. He also slowed it down to just a few frames a second, and for a brief moment a crack in the air appeared right before Hercules seemingly pops out of nowhere and kills a demon. “Did you see that?”

Tim looked at the video. “That was a crack in space.” he said, watching as Hercules stepped through. 

Cody watched the footage, stood up, walked over to the screen, and motioned his hand towards Braiden, “Wait, rewind it again. Right before Herc appears.” 

Braiden rewound the video again and this time enhanced the image and made it sharper. He then zoomed in on the location and paused it. “What are you looking for?”

Cody looked, then pointed to the person who was fighting beside Hercules. “There, focus on her, I want to make sure of something.” Braiden zoomed in on the woman who was backing up and played the clip again. “THERE! She actually DID it. Consciously, I mean.” Sure enough, she swung her hands around and it looked like she called out Hercules’s name, like she knew what she was doing. “There are others who know more than us. So this means one thing for a fact. Myths have to be real, and have either gone to another realm, were banished, hidden, or something. Far less the options how they vanished, more on they are real… and I am talking in circles…”

Braiden shrugged. “We know very little, other than that these things are killing massive amounts of people. We also don’t know for sure how to summon the mythical heroes, other than a life or death situation.” 

“So, basically, we need to try and get you to summon Gilgamesh again in a less deadly scenario, preferably non-combat so he’ll talk with us.” Cody made it sound FAR less complicated, but smiled afterwards.

“Well, you know, if it was only that easy.” Braiden shook his head and stretched a bit.

Tim thought, “I wonder what way there could be, other than life or death, that we could summon them.” He shook his head before going over to the window. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and opened the window. Looking at Braiden, he asked, “Do you mind?” he motioned with the pack.

Braiden shook his head. “Nope, just make sure it’s out the window.” He got up and went over and sat on the couch. “So, what we do now? All classes have been canceled for the time being.”

“Well, unless you magically know how to summon Gilgamesh again, then I’d say sleep.” Cody wasn’t really feeling tired, but he knew he had to get sleep eventually. 

As if on cue, Braiden yawned. “Perhaps you’re right. Here, let me show you guys to the rooms. And don’t worry, each one has its own bathroom.” Braiden led them upstairs and down another hall to a row of doors on either side. “Pick a room, doesn’t matter. Goodnight.” He entered the closest room on the left and showered and went to bed.

Cody impulsively followed Tim into the same room. 2 years of rooming together made such an action just another routine. “So… where am I-” He looked around and only saw one bed, “- bunking… I guess this is a one person room. Well, I forgot what those are like.” He laughed to himself a bit, then turned around. “I guess I’ll talk to you in the morning?”

Sam followed Tim into his room, and laid down on the bed, feeling mentally exhausted. “Good night, Cody.” she said, starting to doze off. 

Tim nodded, “Yeah. Talk to you in the morning.” he said, finding a chair and sitting looking out the window. As Cody left, he opened the window and lit another cigarette. “So life or death situations. Hopefully tonight stays somewhat quiet.” He flicked his finished butt outside, closed the window, and laid on the bed. After he laid down, Sam curled up against him muttering in her sleep about not letting him go. He smiled before dozing off. A loud crash woke Tim just a couple hours later.


	2. Invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated and reposted chapter 2. Hopefully like chapter 1 it reads better.

Cody sprung up, “What the-...” his first thought was if Tim left the toaster on all night and it blew up, till he remembered where he was. As he started to wake up, he heard sirens howling outside and a huge thud outside his room. He jumped out of bed, slipped his shorts on, and ran out of the room to check on Tim.

Tim was already outside his room, staring down one of the beasts. The creature made a lunge for him He slipped past the creature, but the claw nicked his shoulder. Tim felt as if he was moving faster than normal, ‘This feels strange.’ he thought as he dodged, then he grabbed the beast’s arm, and slammed it into the wall, using his own weight as a counter balance. “Well, about time the commotion woke one of you up.” He said, motioning to Braiden's door. “Want to make sure he is ok?” He asked, twisting the arm behind it’s back, the bones crunching as he twisted.

“If you die, so help me…” Cody bolted towards Braiden's door, threw it open and yelled at him. “Braiden! If there was ever a good time to get Gilgamesh, now’s the freaking time!” Turning back around, he made his way towards Tim and the monster, running full speed and shouting. “Tim, duck!”

Tim released the creature with a kick at the broken arm, smashing the creature back into the wall before ducking. “Are you crazy?” he yelled.

“Oh, and you’re not?” Cody jumped over Tim, grabbed the monster and, while on his way down, rolled onto his back and threw the creature over his head into another wall behind him with his legs. “I really hope he didn't care about the walls in the event of possible demonic apocalypses!” Cody suddenly became dizzy and a massive headache overtook him, causing him to stumbled into a wall. “Not again…”

Tim ran over, and helped Cody to stand straight, heading to the room. “Dude don’t do anything crazy like that again.” he said, with slight humor in his voice.

“Who was the one taking on the crazy demon alone?” Cody’s head was throbbing, like he had two voices arguing loudly against his own. He managed to look up and see the monster running towards them. “Watch out!” Cody jumped and pushed Tim out of the way with his legs, also pushing himself away and causing the monster to crash into the doorframe. 

Sam awoke to the sight of a creature’s head smashing through the door. Screaming, she stood up, still dressed in what she had worn earlier. Drawing her knives, she prepared to defend herself. She lowered her weapons with a sigh of relief as she watching the creature turn to dust. “What the hell is going on?!” she asked, as she started for the door.

Braiden had sprung up and looked around to see 3 of the demons climbing through his window. For a brief moment he felt fear and defenselessness before feeling the sword in his hand again. He looked down and saw it glimmering like before. “Alright then.” He quickly took one out and blocked another while ducking from the third. Swinging around without even looking he surprisingly decapitated another one and then spun and flipped through the air stabbing the third through the head. He landed on the ground very surprised at what he just did. “Huh, I didn’t think I could ever do something like that.” He then spun around at the sound of a loud crash and was about to bolt into the hallway when his eye caught more movement out the window and to his horror there were at least a hundred of the things outside. His legs moved on their own and he made it into the hallway in time to instinctively impale the one against the doorway. “Move! There’s at least a hundred more waiting outside. We have to get the house into lockdown!”

Cody’s head was throbbing. He made his way to follow Braiden, but the two voices started violently fighting. ‘Run’ ‘Fight’ ‘Run’ ‘Fight’ it was getting unbearable. “Shut up!” Cody shouted, fumbling against a wall again.

Braiden was concerned for Cody but he quickly made it to the control pad, punched in the numbers and hit lockdown. The house was suddenly filled with the noise of thick metal gates closing over every window and door to the outside. “The outside walls are made of half a foot thick reinforced steel. I imagine even the demons will have issues getting in.” He then moved over to Cody. “What’s wrong?”

Cody fell to his knees and grabbed his head as his glasses fell off. “Just shut up already! Our lives are in danger and all you're doing is fighting!” He was visibly in pain and it was almost like he couldn't hear anything else but the voices. ‘Fight’ ‘Run’ over and over. The room started spinning and he began breathing uncomfortably fast. Before he knew it, everything faded to white.

Sam tried to run into the hallway, but a light surrounded her and she vanished. She appeared back at the school, in what seemed to be the boiler room. Next to her stood Dr. Grey. She looked at him, very confused. “How did you…?” she started to ask before realizing that she was the only one who was teleported. She frantically checked her pockets, pulled out her phone, and quickly tried calling Tim, to which she got a message, “The number you are trying to reach…” she sighed and asked Dr. Grey, “Is there any way to get Tim a message?” Dr. Grey shook his head and looked down, “Not right now. Or rather, not in this time. But keeping you safe is priority right now, he will be fine.” A man with a top hat slowly walked up behind Dr. Grey and smiled.

Tim walked over to Cody. “Get him into the room.” He said, grabbing Cody under his shoulder. 

Cody was now in a room, solid white. There were no windows, or doors, but there was a breeze and light. “Am I dead?” He thought out loud. “Well, no, but you might be soon.” A man replied. Cody turned and there were two guys sitting in chairs. One was wearing a blue shirt with a black vest and dark blue tie, the other was wearing a red shirt with a black vest and red scarf. Cody was confused at the man in red’s reply. “What do you mean?” The guy in blue stood up and began to pace, “You are in no place to do anything while unconscious. So it would make sense that you would die if they reached you.” Red stood up and fed to the dialogue, “That is, of course, to say you don't put up a fight.” Blue glared, clearly annoyed, “Okay, we've been over this. Last time you ‘fought’ mortal, you died. So let's not repeat that with him. We run first chance we get.” Red turned and threw his hand around, “No, we fight! Running won't solve anything! As soon as he remembers, we can do something!” Blue put his hand on his temple and looked at Red, “Do you still not get it? He has no idea who we are.” Red was getting agitated, “He does, just is having a hard time saying it.” “So we run.” “No, we fight!” “Run” “Fight!” “Run” “FIGHT!” Cody covered his ears and shouted, “SHUT UP!!! I have been listening to this far too long!” Blue and Red stopped and turned to Cody. Neither of them were expecting that type of reply. Putting his hands into his pockets, Blue looked at Cody, “Okay, what then do we do? You are literally unable to do anything right now. You’re a useless at this moment and-” Cody didn't let him finish, “Shut up! I know that, but I also have friends who have their lives in very real, very imminent danger. Tim is one of the only friends I have and he’s also reckless! I don't care if I risk getting hurt, I have to help! So either you two help, or get out of my way and let me out of here!” Red stood still, then smiled, “Then we fight! Just… one thing. Who are we?” Cody was angered by the seemingly pointless question, until he had the overwhelming feeling that he actually knew.

Braiden was helping carry Cody to the central point in the house with Tim as they heard the house under siege. “Not sure, how long we have before things start to give. There is an underground passage in the pantry that leads to a hidden garage. Worst case we can make it there and escape.”

Tim looked around, “How long do you think it would take them to break in?” he asked, catching a whiff of flowers in the air. “Wait a second.” he said, stopping.

Cody stood up and felt a sense a familiarity for a moment, “Wait… I do know you…” Red clenched his fists in excitement, “There you go, you know us.” Cody squinted and replied without confidence, “You're Gemini?” Red rolled his eyes, “Okay, maybe not…” Blue sighed as if he knew this would happen. “What? Aren't you both Gemini?” Both red and blue turned to him and in unison replied, “No!”

Braiden looked around. “What? What is it?” He heard more grinding noises along with the sound of metal bending and giving way. 

“Don’t you smell the flowers?” he asked, still smelling flowers. “It’s oddly soothing.” 

“So, I don't get it. Everything I learned in mythology-” Cody started to speak when blue spoke over him, “Not myth. It's Dietology.” Looking in confusion, Cody's eyebrows went crooked. “What?” Red replied without hesitation, “The study of Deities. We aren't myths, and neither are you.” Cody raised his glance, “Wait, what?” He felt a strong memory hit him, one from before his mom passed. When he was 8, he was in a hospital, solid white walls, and a window cracked open for a breeze. His mom had fallen down some stairs and landed on the brick street. She had a cracked skull and a severe hemorrhage, which wasn’t getting better. She looked him in the eyes as she brushed his hair out of the way while in a hospital bed a few minutes before her operation, “Don’t cry, I can’t see the stars in your eyes when you cry.” Cody felt words on the tip of his tongue, and Red could see it. “Oh, OH! You remember!” Blue shrugged and turned away, “Don't get your hopes up.”

Tim looked around, noting only Braiden and Cody around. “Sam?” he asked, before attempting to move away from the others. He felt a strange sensation, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He remembered back to his childhood, when he slept, he would smell flowers, and met a mage. The mage taught Tim the basics of etiquette, chivalry, and the knight’s code. As he tried to go and search, he stopped as if a hand was resisting. A whisper came to Tim’s ear, “She is safe. Take care of those you are with at the moment.” Tim knew the voice, just couldn’t place the name. He nodded, before lifting Cody to his shoulders, carrying him in a fireman's carry. “So, where is this tunnel you were speaking of?” he asked, hearing a nasty creak coming from the plated front door. “Cuz that doesn’t sound disorganized.”

Braiden nodded his head towards the kitchen. “This way.” They made it to the entrance when a horrific groan was heard from the front door and then ripping noises. “Move.” As they entered the passage, Braiden pressed a button, closing a solid steel door behind them as the lights activated down the hall. “Every 20 feet a door will close behind us. Should give us plenty of time.”

“I know this… somehow…” Cody was struggling to put what felt like one and one together. “Look, it’s hopeless. Why did we get him?” Blue was already walking away when red turned and argued. “Did you pick me? You can see it in his eyes, you can see the resemblance, don’t deny it!.” Cody looked up really quickly, “What did you say?” His head was beginning to sting, “What about my eyes?”

Tim nodded, and took off at a slow jog, Cody weighing him down. “Hopefully there is something decent in that garage.” He said, trying to speak over the sound of metal doors closing.

“There’s more than a few things in there that are good. My uncle is rather paranoid.” He chuckled as they moved along.

Cody was trying to find a way to put the words in his head out. “Do you remember, or not?” Blue said with a bland expression. “I… do? But I don’t.” Replied Cody, to which Blue slowly turned around with a confused look, then resumed his lack of enthusiasm. “Oh, grow up. You always do this.” Cody snapped as he saw Blue turn away. Both of the men turned, “I do not.” Blue said before realizing who spoke, as Red stared into Blue’s face and smiled, “Told you he remembers!” “He hasn’t said anything yet.” Blue replied. Red looked him in the eyes, “Look, just because you’re so against me fighting again doesn’t mean you should throw him away like a lost cause!” “And why not?” Blue screamed, “He can’t be one of us! He so useless!” Cody watched the two and spoke up, “Look, I’m all for guessing your names later and all, but my friends are fighting alone and I need to be there.” Throwing his scarf over his shoulder, Red turned to him. “If you’re gonna fight, then don’t do anything absolutely reckless. We’re here for you, just remember to call us and we-“ Blue scoffed, “We?” Red replied abruptly, “WE will be there. Okay? Cause you’re gonna need us.” Suddenly everything went white and Cody began to fade out.

Tim and Braiden made it to the garage, hearing a banging behind them as the door shut. “Well that lasted a while. Ok now we need a car.” The garage was almost like an airplane hanger. It stretched for what looked like 200 feet and was filled with a wide variety of cars. As Tim found an unlocked car, he put Cody in the back seat, then started getting in the passenger seat when he heard a bang as the main metal door that closed behind them was being ripped open with a nasty groan. “Well, good to know they are organized, even in small mansion raids.” he said, watching as the creatures started bending open the door. Turning to Braiden, he said, “Get Cody out of here.” he said, closing the passenger door, and starting to walk away from the car. He took a defensive stance, waiting for the first strike.

Braiden shook his head and jumped over the car with his sword raised. “Like hell I’m going to leave you alone.” He stood shoulder to shoulder with Tim. He was shaking and sweating nervously. This was not how he wanted to die, as a matter of fact he didn’t want to die at all, but with things as they were it seemed unlikely they’d make it out from this. “Let’s at least go out with a bang, eh?” He managed a small smile as he tightened his grip on the sword.

Tim closed his eyes and breathed a steadying breath. His eyes snapped open at the sound of the door being broken and demons pouring in. “Don’t let them get at the car.” he said, dodging a strike, bringing his knee up, hitting one of the beasts, causing it to sputter and fall to the ground. He kept watching for movement, ready to react to anything.

Braiden had already taken down 2 of them and nodded as he did his best to dodge and weave between enemies killing them. He got scratched and hit a few times while trying to take out more. He felt like he was decent with the sword but there were simply so many of them. “We won’t last forever like this!”

Tim took out two, barely dodging and trying to hit them where a solar plexus would be. As they hit the ground, he turned to the door seeing another wave of grunts coming through and something else. Something bigger. “Oh, that looks pleasant.” he said, lighting a cigarette.

A large, 16 foot lion-like demon with claws made seemingly out of barbed bones and flesh that looked like it was made of stone had torn down the door and came walking on two legs into the garage. Its eyes were burning red as it let out a monstrous roar. 

Braiden stared at the thing for a moment going slightly pale. “Definitely a stronger one. Dunno if we can take it on.” He killed a couple more grunts before moving into a defensive position between it and the car. He took a few calming breaths trying to steady himself as his heart rate was climbing.

Cody started to come to. Everything was spinning and his headache was still throbbing. As he took a moment to observe where he was, he heard fighting and screeching metal. “Wh- what is going on?” Cody leaned up from the back seat and saw what looked like Tim and Braiden fighting off waves of enemies. He started looking for his glasses but couldn’t find them. Knowing he was no good at fighting, he started looking around for a weapon. No bats, no shotguns, no swords, no random hatchets, but there was an armored humvee that had a minigun on top. With no hesitation, he got out of the car and made a mad dash towards it, jumped straight to the top in one leap, which impressed himself, and started up the minigun. “GET DOWN!” shouting towards the other two as loud as he could. 

Braiden could hear the whir of his uncles infamous minigun and promptly threw himself to the side of the garage and ducked behind another armored truck. He made sure to tuck his sword so as not to cut himself. ‘Make good use of it, Cody.’

Tim jumped back, kicking a grunt he was grappling with, launching him backwards, just next to the humvee that had the spinning minigun. He watched as the minigun tore through the ranks, mowing down the grunts, but something odd happened. The bullets seemed to bounce off the leader. He heard another roar, before seeing it charge the humvee. “Get out of the way!” he shouted, leaping to the side, before cursing the fact that he had no weapons. 

Cody was aiming firing at the bigger guy, who he had assumed was the one in charge. Nothing was happening. Tim had shouted something, but the minigun drowned out the sound. His focus was still off since he couldn’t really see, but he finally saw the big guy rushing the humvee. He leaped from the vehicle and landed in time to watch the vehicle get launched 40 feet away, totaling it. He now felt useless as he had no weapon anymore.

Braiden managed to rush the big thing and stab into it with his sword which surprisingly worked. He smiled until it turned around and backhanded him which sent him into a wall. He coughed up some blood upon impact and the sound of cracking could be heard indicating bones breaking as he slumped over unconscious.

Tim stood, wishing he had a weapon. He also smelled flowers again. His mind flooded with memories of his dreams again and the mage teaching him. As they flashed through, he finally remembered the name of the mage. “Wait, that explains so much. Merlin? Is that you?” he asked, as a robed figure appeared. 

“Well it seems things have gotten interesting so far,” Merlin said, turning to Tim. “I was wondering when you were going to summon me from the Gardens.”

Tim shrugged, “It took me a moment to put two and two together.” he said, cigarette hanging from his lips. He barely dodged a chunk of concrete the creature threw at him. “Can’t we have a moment?!” he shouted, kicking a chunk that broke off.

Merlin turned back to the creature, noting the grunts swarming in. “Do you want the big guy or the grunts?” he asked, raising his staff.

Tim thought for a moment. “If I had a weapon I could take the big guy,” he said, starting to walk forward.

Merlin sighed, “You don’t get it, do you?” he asked, turning back to Tim. “Think of the weapon you want, and you can create it!” he said, turning back to the swarm of grunts. 

Tim thought for a moment, focusing on a pair of tonfa, which when taking lessons he had become very familiar with. He opened his eyes, feeling something in his hands. “Woah…” he said, spinning them, noting they had blades. As he spun them, he got a feel for the weight.

Merlin was muttering a short incantation, before a field of flowers appeared all around them.

Cody stood in awe of the appearance of another Myth. He felt useless. He had to help, but had no ability to. Braiden was knocked out, there was a giant demon-monster thing rushing Tim, and an unknown number of grunts running in. He felt time slow down and his mind played out a crazy scenario. Tim was gonna fight, but there was a grunt with a spike coming from his hand and was going to impale him. Cody would scream and they’d come for him. Nothing beyond that. He fell to his knees, begging in his mind to change what he saw into something else. Suddenly, the faces of the two people in that white room flashed in his mind, and he yelled, “Castor! Pollux! HELP!” A massive pillar of ice shot from the ground and shattered, revealing Pollux, the one guy in blue, and a fiery explosion holding Castor, the guy in red. “Told you.” Castor glared at Pollux all cocky. “Enough, we have some lower beings to squish.” Pollux replied. Cody stood up, somewhat excited, somewhat annoyed they were still arguing, but staggered to the headache that still had yet to subside. Castor walked up to Cody and glanced at him, “You gonna, ya know, help?” Confused, Cody tilted his head and asked, “And how exactly am I going to help? I can’t see, and I don’t have a weapon! Also, DEMONS!” Pollux held his hand out and a small sigil formed on Cody’s face. His eyes felt like they were freezing over, “EAAAH!!” He screamed in pain for a moment, but then there was no pain, and he opened his eyes. They had never seen better. Yelling from across the way, Pollux looked like he was about ready to slap someone, “You stand up and stop being so inferior. Muster your strength and blow their heads off.”

Tim barely dodged the giants lunge, spinning the tonfa outward, slashing the exposed triceps, then kicked it, launching himself backwards. “Any help would be appreciated!” He said, spinning his tonfa, preparing to defend against an attack. 

Castor joined in the fray with a burning staff, and Pollux ran towards Tim while forming a shield made of ice, blocking an incoming attack and freezing a grunt with a spike for an arm instantaneously. Cody had to act. He didn’t know what to do but, instinctively, he thought about magiterror’s tesla turret. Thrusting his hands towards the beast, a bolt of lightning shot at incredible speeds and blasted the large demon in the face, causing it to scream in pain.

Tim dodged another hammer strike by the creature, before sticking his tonfa in it’s chest, killing it. “You, sir, are heavy,” he said barely throwing it off him. He looked over to see Merlin slashing at the creatures with a blade of the purest gold. He called out, “Put an end to this!” Merlin nodded, and started chanting. The flowers started to glow, as the grunts charged for a final assault. They were drained as they entered the border of the field. Braiden started glowing as well, as the life force was being placed into him, allowing him to wake up.

Braiden's head hurt, and his body ached. For a few moments anyway until the pain ebbed away and he felt pretty good. He then opened his eyes to see some crazy shit going on. He was surrounded by pulsing flowers. Two different colored twins were standing near Cody and Tim was holding bladed tonfa. “What in the bloody hell?” Braiden stood up confused and slightly disoriented.

Tim dropped the tonfa, which disappeared, running over to his friend. Helping Braiden up, he asked, “Are you ok?” 

Pollux turned to the others and calmly spoke, “So, for the record, I think it’d be wise to talk AFTER we get on our way.” Cody was in awe. He just shot lightning from his hands. Snapping back to the moment, he nodded and ran towards the remaining untouched vehicles. Castor made it over to Braiden and Tim, “Do you need an arm to help you to the car or are you good?”

Braiden was still a little dazed but he nodded. “I think I’m okay, though I could’ve swore something broke, and it hurt. A lot.” He then noticed a man in robes holding a glowing golden sword. “Who...Wha..?” He was gawking at the mage. But he quickly shook his head. “Later.” Braiden pointed at an armored truck. “It’s not super fast, but it’ll get us out of here.” He ran to it and got in the driver's seat. “Everyone pile in.”

Tim sighed, lighting a cigarette, before getting in the passenger side of the truck. “Ready when you are.” he said.

Merlin got in the back. Leaning against the wall, he set Excalibur down, tip first. The tip sank slightly into the floor, keeping itself from sliding to the sides.

Cody, Pollux, and Castor all got into the back of the truck while remaining on alert. It was strange, it was almost like Cody knew things would be alright with the twins. “We’re all good, Braiden. Let’s get out of here.” 

Braiden started the truck and began driving out of the garage along another underground passage. After a minute or so of driving they finally exited out onto a street which revealed that the city was in chaos. In the distance multiple buildings ablaze were collapsing and demons appeared to be everywhere. “Uhhh, guys. We’re fucked.”

Helicopters were flying overhead and jets could be heard higher in the skies. Military tanks could be seen in the distant streets trying to defend hundreds of screaming people running in terror from the mass of demons. Lines of military troops were attempting to usher the crowd in certain directions while providing cover fire.

Tim looked around, shocked. “Why this city?” he asked, nervously pulling out his empty pack of cigarettes. He groaned, “Uggghhh. I need more,” before throwing the empty pack out the window.

“Guys, we got a problem behind us, too.” Cody was looking behind them to a large group of grunts chasing the truck. “Castor, wanna do a thing?” Pollux grinned at Castor, who smiled wide back. “Just, everyone do me a favor and hold on.”

Tim plugged his ears. “Whatever you are going to do, do it now!” he said.

Castor walked to the edge of the truck and pulled his arms behind his back like he was stretching, then slowly moved them in front, as fire began to pour from his hands like water. Muttering something under his breath, he closed his wrists together while facing his hands towards the road. Suddenly molten lava blasted and cracked as it flooded the street behind them. Cody felt compelled to join in. Thrusting his hand towards the army of demons, lightning shot the lava and the sea of fire was conducting and pulsing electricity. “Okay, that worked? You know what, not questioning it!” Cody chuckled in surprise.

Braiden was having trouble outpacing the rapidly spreading conducting lava in the slow armored truck. Unfortunately it caught up with the rear tires and melted them stalling the truck completely. “SHIT!!! Everyone on the roof!” Braiden climbed out onto the roof of the truck and looked around. Electric lava was flowing everywhere. Thankfully it kept the demons at bay, but also stranded them. His mind suddenly flashed with a golden image. “Gilgamesh, I, your humble vassal, Braiden, request thyne kings aid!” There was a scoff from somewhere and then a golden portal opened revealing some kind of airship. Then a voice spoke to them. “Only my vassal may sit on the throne, be warned.” Braiden moved to the plane, which was hovering just barely above the lava, He walked onto it and sat down on the throne. He was suddenly filled with insight in how to fly it. “Everyone on!”

Tim had climbed out the passenger door window, and was on the roof, as the truck was sinking into the lava, he helped everyone across, and just barely making it off himself before the top sank into the lava. “That was close.” he said.

Cody was sitting on the craft while Pollux and Castor were standing. They both turned to him and gave a look. Cody knew what that look meant. “So, when are you doing a thing?” Pollux asked, and Castor replied, “In a moment.” The craft started moving away at a surprising speed and grace. Castor waved his hand revealing a magical looking sigil that resembled a button, he smiled them slammed his hand against it, causing the lava to explode, almost like a volcanic eruption. Fire and lightning spewed everywhere in a magnificent display of lights. Then the craft rocked for a moment from the shockwave caused by the explosion. Castor then sat down with a very large smile on his face. 

“That was interesting, and a mighty fine show indeed you two. Now, anyone have any clue as to where we should head next? Because my uncle’s place is in ruins, as is probably many places right now.” Braiden looked out and saw many cities on fire and crumbling. “This is fantastic...world on fire and in ruins. Thousands of years of human development...gone...just gone.” He shook his head.

Tim shook his head, reaching in his other jacket pocket to find a full pack of cigarettes. Quirking an eyebrow at the pack, he pulled one out and lit it. “Well, does Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, have something?” he asked, turning to Braiden.

Braiden shrugged. “No idea, I can’t even seem to fully manifest him. I think I’m even lucky to have gotten this airship, which is called Vimana by the way.” Braiden suddenly sat upright and was stiff. “INCOMING!” Vimana suddenly turned 90 degrees and dodged some kind of blast from the ground, it turned again and dodged another one. Braiden looked down to see what looked like slightly different versions of the big guy they fought earlier launching blasts skyward. “Hang on!” Vimana’s wings completely unfurled and there was a small magical crackling that could be felt as they glowed. The sudden boost in speed probably would’ve thrown everyone had it not been holding them down magically as Vimana went from cruising to 4 times the speed of sound in less than a second.

A mile out from the mansion, there was a woman standing on a hill, watching as Vimana vanished from sight. “This is what I get for leaving a witch’s job to simple grunts…” A snarl could be heard, before she said, “Next time, Arthur, you won’t escape so easily. I will end your legacy once and for all.”


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same as 1 and 2 updated and reposted

About an hour and a half later, they were over the Pacific Ocean. Cody turned to Braiden, “So… did we just fly full circle around the Earth?”

“Not quite, but we did accelerate to about 3,000 miles per hour. It’s Vimana’s top cruising speed.” Braiden was looking out over the sides as Vimana flew over the ocean slowing down rapidly. “There!” He pointed to a small island which was uninhabited. “We’ll stay here for now since it should be safe and decide where to go next.” Braiden landed Vimana which powered down and began its recharge cycle. “Should probably try and find food, water and shelter first.”

Merlin cleared his throat. “I may be able to help with that.” he said before tapping his staff on the ground, causing it to shake. The ground sort of opened up, wood moving around and forming a building. 

Tim watched in amazement as Merlin formed the building with just a tap of his staff. “I guess all that’s left is food.” he said, projecting a bow and quiver of arrows in his hand. “I’ll be back.” he said, walking into the woods.

Cody watched Tim leave, “Less then a day or two later and he already looks like he mastered his… powers, abilities, skills?” He stopped and turned to Merlin. “So, are you able to make food, too? Or are we going to have to hunt. I doubt on this small island there would be much food.”

Merlin motioned to the door, “There is already food inside, and a fully stocked refrigerator and pantry. I’m not sure why he decided to go hunting.” he shook his head.

Cody chuckled, “Sounds like Tim. He has that, ‘Let me go provide for everyone in the most unorthodox way possible’ thing. Last year I sprained my ankle and he treated it like I wasn’t able to walk. He made people get out of my way when walking and tried creating a pulley system out the dorm window to get me up.” Castor laughed, “Sounds like SOMEONE I know.” Pollux looked at Castor with a sarcastic glance.

Merlin looked around suddenly, having a thought. “Oh right, almost forgot.” He said as he tapped the ground again, putting a canopy over Vimana. “There, now it’s hidden when not in use.” he said, smiling. He then entered the house.

Braiden walked into the house and just about collapsed feeling extremely weak. “Ohh, lightheaded.” His head was spinning and he was shaking. It felt like his energy was literally being sucked out of him.

“Oh geez.” Cody jogged over to Braiden and helped him sit up. “Let’s get you to a bed, rest may help you out. You don’t take any meds for this, right? If so, I may have some still as long as it’s the same type of prescription.” He threw Braiden's arm over his shoulder. “Now… to find the rooms.” Cody looked around, the cabin was new and unfamiliar, so he help his friend through a hall to find a room. “You know, you’re heavier than you look. Is all of that muscle?”

Braiden chuckled. “I guess you could say that, yes. I work out a lot and I play soccer.” His head pulsed and he groaned. His legs were weak and he felt really heavy like his body was turning into lead. 

“Well, then maybe I should catch you in a soccer game sometime. I was kinda good in high school before I started track.” Cody laughed as Braiden's legs started giving away more. He pushed open a few doors before finding a bed. After helping Braiden onto the bed, he pulled out his meds. “Do you take-“

Braiden waved his hand as he managed to slur. “Nah, iam goood, jus sum slep.” His mind was rapidly shutting down and he was out before his head hit the pillow.

Cody nodded, pocketed his meds, and turned around walking out of the room and closing the door behind him, he then looked at Pollux, “Pollux, can I ask a fav-” “Don’t finish that.” Pollux walked up to the door and sat in a chair that manifested from ice. Just in case anything happened, he’d be there to wake up and help Braiden in the unlikely scenario that Gilgamesh didn’t. As he began walking towards the living room where everyone else was, he felt a pain in his foot. Looking down, his feet were swollen. He didn’t have time to throw on shoes when he woke up in the mansion, and all the running and dodging had taken a toll on them. “Ugh, no wonder they hurt. Maybe there is a huge closet with shoes in here, too. Just… Ice… I need ice...”

Tim had ended up not hunting, but instead practicing with his new abilities. ‘I have to get these down. In order to protect them, I have to get stronger…’ he thought as he struggled to project more than his tonfa. As Tim spent the next several hours working on this, his thoughts drifted to Sam. His multiple projections were sloppy at first, which made him curse and dissipate them. He closed his eyes and focused, spawning several swords and spears. Panting, Tim dissipated the projections, and thought, ‘Why am I tired? This feels like it took almost nothing from me, yet I’m tired.’ Tim walked back to the house, opening and closing the door behind him. “Hello?” he asked, lighting a cigarette. He found Merlin sitting in a rocking chair in the corner, Cody and Castor sitting on a couch, with Cody’s feet in a bucket of ice. “I’m guessing Braiden and Pollux went to bed?” he asked, sitting in a chair around the coffee table. 

Castor look confused, then a look of understanding came over him. “Ah, so, we don’t sleep. Er, rather, WE don’t sleep. Celestials and all. Not quite sure about Merlin, we never really got acquainted.” Cody looked at Castor, who looked at him then back to Tim. “Uhm… By the way, can I have a cig? Pollux isn’t here so he can’t stop me.” 

Tim shrugged, tossing his open pack to Castor. “Help yourself. Will be a challenge staying in stock, though.” he said, 

Castor caught the pack, then a ball of ice fell onto his head from nowhere. “Ouch! Damn it, Pollux!”

“Tsk. You would think guardians and gods wouldn’t have to run from some lowly demons” A voice spoke from seemingly nowhere. A bored Gilgamesh began to materialize in a gathering golden shimmer. He was leaning against a wall. “Pathetic.”

Castor looked at Gilgamesh and stood up, bowing as he spoke up. “And yet, this is one of those situations.” 

Tim looked to Gilgamesh, slightly shocked and annoyed that now he decided to reveal himself, before leaning back in his chair, and blew out a puff of smoke. “If we did stay and fight, we would all be dead, and you would not be able to materialize right now.” he said, rubbing his left temple. “It’s not like we really had a choice. We have to get stronger.”

“Dead, maybe not. Safe? Eeeeehhhh...” Cody looked at Tim and quirked an eye.

Merlin watched the exchange before something struck him. “Wait, Gilgamesh. If you are here, what’s going on with Braiden?” he asked.

Gilgamesh glanced down the hall and for a brief moment looked sad, before his blank bored look took place again. “My vassal so desperately wished to be useful and wanted me here that he’s subconsciously put himself into a comatose state to connect with me better so that I may be here on a permanent basis.” He then looked at the group. “Those demons are out there trampling my garden, and I will not stand for it.” 

Castor sat back down, “Well, the demons are definitely something. But I can’t quite grasp one detail. The lockdown wasn’t weak last I checked. What could have broken the seal?” He looked at Gilgamesh with a bit of concern.

Gilgamesh had an expression that said he knew but it was just as quickly blank again. “I assume you guys have at least started coming up with a plan to end this invasion?”

Tim shook his head, “Well, we would be if we knew what this seal was. How could it be broken and by whom?” he asked, looking between Castor and Gilgamesh.

“I know who started it and why, I also know that if we kill them it will end everything. But that’s easier said than done. Corvus Glaive is currently leading the demon army.” Gilgamesh said the name with almost tangible venom.

Merlin shuddered at the name. “That’s a name I thought I wouldn’t hear in this realm before the veil broke, but now that it is...” He looked at Gilgamesh, “Are you sure it’s him?” he asked, drawing circles with his staff. 

“Are you seriously questioning Gilgamesh?” Castor had a look of dead seriousness. Cody was confused. As he took his feet out of the ice, he leaned on the armrest of the couch. “Wait. Who is this Corbin Glade?”

Gilgamesh nodded. “Corvus Glaive, a master necromancer who has found a way to use pure magic to construct false sparks and turn them into demons for his army. He has been biding his time until he knew for sure he could take over. He did not, however, anticipate certain humans unlocking their guardians. So he’s been trying to take out any humans with the highest potentials first.” Gilgamesh again glanced towards Braiden’s room with a curious expression.

Tim thought for a moment. He got up and walked over to the window. “It would seem Braiden is one of those with high potentials, considering you are his guardian.” Lighting a cigarette, he turned around, leaning his back against the window frame. “I sincerely hope this place will be able to hide us for a while. At least until Braiden is better.” he said, looking to Gilgamesh. He then turned to Castor and Cody, “That sound good to you all?” he asked.

“Wow, when did you become leader?” Cody chuckled, trying to keep the mood light. “But anyways, what do we do in the meantime?”

“Hmph, find something productive to do. I could test you all in battle.” Gilgamesh smirked slightly.

“How about not me, and Pollux is busy.” Castor was very quick to reply. Cody turned to Castor and gave a look of confusion, then understanding.

Tim got up, projecting his tonfa. “I'll take you up on that.” he said, walking outside to a clearing. Merlin followed, chanting to reinforce the tonfa.

Gilgamesh stepped outside and moved several feet back. He opened a single portal. “Let’s see how you do with just one for now.” He launched some kind of axe through it at a fast but not blinding speed.

Cody and Castor followed to watch the fight. Cody was concerned and didn’t want to see Tim hurt, but he wasn’t confident enough to fight Gilgamesh.

Tim brought his tonfa down, deflecting the axe. Immediately after sticking into the ground, it vanished into a cloud of gold dust. He then assumed a defensive stance.

“Not bad for a peasant, now show me what makes you worthy.” A second portal opened and two weapons launched at the same speed.

Tim watched the blades, moving slightly, dodging one and knocking one with his tonfa, deflecting it into a tree. 

Cody watched with anticipation, hoping Tim would wow him in some way again. He looked up to his capabilities a lot. Castor watched Cody’s staring and grabbed his shoulder and gently rocked him, “So, I take it you want to be more like him, huh?”

Gilgamesh kept it at two portals for a few volleys before increasing to 3 and launching them faster. He was at about 2% speed now. “Not doing too bad, keep it up.”

Tim was starting to feel fatigued and his reactions were slowing. He deflected the next couple volleys before conceding. “I won’t be able to keep this up any more,” he said, his tonfa were chipped. He dropped them, the tonfa disappeared as soon as they left his fingers. 

Cody turned to Castor, “Yeah, he’s got more talent than a swiss army knife has usability.” Giving a chuckle, Castor slapped him on the back lightly and walked inside towards Pollux. Not sure how to take that, Cody followed.

Gilgamesh sealed the portals and shrugged. “We can continue another time.” He vanished in golden sparkles and reappeared in Braiden’s room. He was watching from a corner keeping an eye on his vassal.

While Braiden’s body lay motionless on the bed a much different experience was occuring within him. He was walking through some kind of forest and it was bright and humid. “Where am I?” He looked around but saw nothing as his question seemed to drift off into the air. “My home, as it was at one point in time.” Braiden whirled around to see a person. He? She? It was hard to tell, they had long flowing green hair and olive skin and a kind smile. “I’m sorry, who are you?” The person smiled. “For now just know that I am someone sharing your body, though it won’t last forever. I do apologize in advance for the suffering I am probably going to bring you.” Braiden looked confused. “I don’t understand..what do you mean?” The person’s smile dropped and a sad expression took its place. “You will understand in the future, for now though. Sleep.” And with those words the forest dropped away and Braiden drifted away into dreams.

“Pollux, Come here,” Castor was kind of peppy in his step as he walked into the living room like area. Pollux got up from his chair of ice and walked over, the ice vanishing suddenly. “Okay, what’s up?” Pollux shrugged. “Take a guess.” His brother replied. Cody looked at Castor, then Pollux, then back to Castor. His curiosity was growing.

Tim walked into the house and sat in the chair he was sitting in before. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes, lighting one, and inhaled before exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Well that was fun. Cody have you given any thought about what you want to do?”

Cody looked at Tim and, slightly discouraged, replied, “I don’t quite get your question.” Castor threw his arm around Cody and laughed, “Don’t worry, we are gonna make that question easy to understand.”

Tim chuckled, drawing off the cigarette again. “We can spar if you would like.” he said, exhaling another cloud of smoke. 

“Maybe after you rest, you look like you ran a marathon.” Cody laughed to himself. Pollux walked up to Cody and Castor smiled, “Should we head to the outside to try a thing?” Pollux replied as Castor got excited, “A THING! YES!” Cody looked at both of them perplexed, but also pretty excited, too.

Tim sighed and laid his head back on the chair’s headrest. In a few moments, he was out. 

Gilgamesh had walked over to Braiden’s side and was staring at him. “Why am I connected to you?” He mused to himself. He looked Braiden over and found himself gently stroking his cheek. “What is this feeling, I feel like I know you.” His eyes narrowed and, for a brief moment, his insight granted him a glimpse at who was within the man before him and his eyes grew wide. “Here? All this time?.” Tears began falling down his face. “If I had known sooner…..if I had seen….” He sat down on the bed and dispelled his armor and laid next to Braiden silently crying. 

Cody, Castor, and Pollux had reached an opening on the island where there was a lot of space. Taking a defencive stance, Castor motioned Cody to rush him. “Uhm, yeah, no. I like not breaking bones, and plus, I still haven’t grabbed-” He stopped short as Pollux threw some shoes at his face. Recovering from the sudden shoe to face impact, he rolled his eyes, “Okay… that solves that.”

After putting on the shoes, Cody stood and hopped a bit. They fit great and felt like they were already worn in. “Okay, so I know you wanted me to, like, charge after you, but I am really not made to take a hit.” Castor immediately lost his stance and shrugged, “Okay, do you still think you are standard human brittle?” Almost scoffingly laughing, Cody turned to Pollux, “Is he serious?” Pollux only looked and glared, then shuffled his eyes back to Castor.

As Cody turned back to Castor, he was being rushed. Jumping to the left, he evaded the running punch, but Castor rotated his hips and delivered a spinning kick to Cody, sending him flying 30 feet away. Rolling to a stop, he grabbed at his side and struggled to breathe, “Dude, really? Pollux, is he for real?” “Meh meh meh is he real?” Castor mocked Cody for a brief moment. Cody was getting angry, till he took a moment and realized his injury wasn’t as bad as he thought. “W-what?” “As I said, did you think you were a squishy normie?” Castor waved his hand and a flaming seat formed from the ground. “Pollux, wanna do a thing?” Walking towards Cody, Pollux offered his hand, to which Cody accepted. “So, now that you know you aren’t brittle, let’s get some things straight. One, you are not your friends, you are you. So make you something you can be proud of. Two, you aren’t useless, you are one of ours. We don’t die easily.” Castor raised his hand, “Done it once before, though.” Cody turned and was confused, but returned his focus to Pollux, “Lastly, if you want to keep your closest safe, you’re going to have to trust us. I didn’t bargain with the gods twice for no reason.” Cody spoke up, “Okay, but what do you mean? The myths said you gave up immortality for Castor. That’s the only bargain you made.”

Pollux’ gaze changed. His eyebrows narrowed and his face became more serious. “The myths tell tales, both in fact and fancy. If you want the truth, ask from the source, don’t take the whimsy stories from fans.” Cody quickly decided to not talk back. Pollux turned around, took a few steps away, then turned back to Cody, “We are going to start with your confidence, something you don’t have at all. We are going to spar, you are going to hold your ground, even when you have nothing left to give. Got it?” Cody felt like he was being thrown into basic training for some sort of military. Castor laughed, “And I’d advise not being a meatbag.”

Resolving to not let them down, he assumed a defensive stance that he had seen Tim use regularly, only to have Pollux immediately stop him. “Okay, see, there you go. That is not you. That is Tim. Stop acting like someone else and be you. Whatever feels natural to you.” Cody listened, but didn’t really understand. ‘Natural to me? What about me is natural…’ His thoughts began to cloud his focus. He snapped back when a warmth wrapped around him. “Stop worrying so much on the unknown. Fight how you would if you wanted to save someone’s life.” Yelled Castor, who was only 45 feet away, but the yelling seemed to set the mood. Cody stood up, and dropped the defence idea, ‘be myself… got it’. Lowering his hands down a bit, he focused on something he knew very well, which was reacting like it was a video game. Pollux rushed him, and thrust his hand forward, launching an ice spike towards Cody. He ducked and somehow was fast enough to evade the spike. Pollux smiled, then reached for his side and unsheathed a sword made of ice out of nowhere. ‘How would I combat a sword fighter…’ He thought as Pollux rushed him, sword angled horizontally, ‘That’s it!’ Bringing his hand forward, he strained his palm and swung it down rapidly, sending a massive bolt of electricity crashing down from the sky.

Smiling, Cody felt accomplished, however the feel of a blunt object brought him to his knees. Attempting to turn to see what it was, Pollux was right there, foot against Cody’s back. “Next time, stop thinking about trying to impress yourself.” Cody was surprised, he was read like a book. Pollux reached his hand and helped Cody up. “So, now that I have an idea of where you are at, we will wait for more practice. Sound good?” Cody nodded and headed inside to see Tim passed out. “Pfft, that’s not surprising at all.” Tim normally napped a bit after the gym or anything physically straining, it’s how he kept fully focused while Cody remained scatterbrained.

Tim snored quietly once before shifting in the chair and pulled his jacket closer to his body. Merlin was sitting in a chair across the room with a lamp pointed directly at a book he was reading. “How was the practice sessions?” he asked, seeing a beat up Cody with Castor and Pollux grinning.

“Mildly abusive?” Cody didn’t know how to really articulate his reply, so he left it at a basic dramatic reply. Castor, however, didn’t feel the need to be vague, “He got his ass kicked in about 4 ways and needs practice.” Pollux simply nodded in agreement as he walked by and sat on the couch.

Merlin laughed a bit before turning to Cody. “Well have you figured out your fighting style?” he asked, closing his book.

“Not even close. I just want to learn this stuff soon so that I can be useful. But honestly, are we going to go after demons, or leave that to the military?” He sat down on the couch next to Pollux then looked at Tim. He saw the reaction to the noise and turned to Merlin, “If it’s not rude to ask, could you, I dunno… make the chair into a recliner for him? There was a recliner in our dorm room that he’d sleep in a lot.” Cody was one step away from also grabbing a blanket and throwing over Tim’s head. He did that a lot, mainly because after so many times, Tim just accepted it and moved it off his face and used it as a pillow.

Merlin shook his head, “It is a recliner. He just didn’t realize that.” he tapped his staff on the ground, causing the recliner to open and lean back. A blanket crossed the room and crawled up, covering Tim. “Better?” he asked, looking to Cody.

“Yeah, thanks.” Cody smiled, then leaned back into the couch, he reached over the side of the couch and started mildly freaking out. “Oh crap! I didn-nnnnnnnnnfffffsshhhhhhhhhhh,” Struggling to keep quiet wasn’t working well, so he decided to instead bite his lip and cover his mouth. It also wasn’t working.

Merlin shook his head, “What is wrong?” he asked, concerned.

“I think I left my computer bag at Braiden's house… which is probably now the remains of a house due to a sudden volcanic explosion…” Cody replied, and Castor smiled, “But it was a pretty one, right?” Castors smile slowly faded to nothing when Cody didn’t even smile back. Pollux shook his head and looked down at his feet.

Merlin shook his head, “I used magic to gather all of your things.” he said, motioning with his hand. A portal appeared, and a bag dropped out of it. “I believe this is your bag?” he asked, tossing it across the room.

Cody caught the bag. It smelled of smoke, but otherwise was untouched. “How did you know what was my bag? You never saw it...” He opened the bag and rummaged through it. Sure enough, everything was there. As he pulled out his computer, a picture fell out. It was of him and his mom when they were at a fair. He got a big grin and put it back into the bag. Opening the laptop, which had a decent charge, he wanted to kill time and work on some new ideas for his mods. Pollux and Castor both saw the picture, and Castor gave a glare at his twin.

“Aren’t pocket dimensions great?” Merlin asked, motioning again and the portal closed. He then opened his book and read for a while.

“Yeah, sure…” Cody trailed off as he wasn’t paying attention. He was trying to fix old mods that he had made until he had sudden inspiration to try something different. It was the idea of creating mythic turrets. Take the heroes that he has seen recently and make them into turrets. It didn't take long to make them, but making them actually work was the challenge. After satisfying his gaming need, he looked over and Tim was still out. ‘Maybe I can train on my own a bit’ he thought. Setting down and closing his laptop, he walked outside and into the large space he had trained in earlier. It was sunset, time had flown by, and some of the brighter stars could be seen. “Okay,” Cody shifted his feet a bit and assumed a different stance, he didn't plan it, it was just what felt right in the moment, “So, let's see what I can do.” He shuffled his hands a bit and thrust them forward, but nothing happened. Confused, he tried again but only for the same result. This went on for almost an hour. Frustrated at the sudden lack of abilities, he sat down. ‘What's wrong?’

Tim woke with a jolt. He noted Merlin reading in the corner and noticed also that Cody was not around. “Where is Cody?” he asked, getting up and stretching. Merlin looked up from his book, “Cody went out.” he said, pointing to the door.

“Oh, no. Don’t worry about us. We’ll just sit here and not exist for close to 4,000 years again.” Castor said with a heavy amount of sarcasm in his tone.

Tim looked at the twins and shrugged before going to the door, “I’m going to go check on Cody.” he said, leaving the house. He walked for about five minutes or so before coming up to the clearing where he found Cody sitting on a stump. “Yo. Everything ok?” he asked putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Not really. I can't do anything anymore.” Cody’s reply was almost hollow. He seemed void of emotion. Having amazing power then getting it ripped away was almost defeating. He felt weak, lifeless. 

Tim walked around and crouched in front of his friend, “What can’t you do?” he asked, slightly confused.

“Anything. All of my abilities are gone.” Cody looked up and saw the stars. Quiet, but shining bright. “I just exist again. I don’t stand out, I don’t shine.”

Tim sat on the ground, pulled out his cigarettes, and lit one. “Well, that’s not necessarily true.” he said, drawing off the cigarette. He offered one to Cody to which he refused before continuing. “What can you do about it currently?” he asked.

“I don’t know. What can I ever do really?” Cody suddenly felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “Well, moping is kinda pointless, you think?” Castor was standing there, but Pollux was nowhere to be seen.

Tim thought for a moment before putting his pack of cigarettes back in his pocket. Drawing off the cigarette, he said, “Well, let's get you away from moping. It is completely pointless. What are your strengths?” he asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“Running fast, chess, and modding.” Cody kind of chuckled and coughed at the smoke blown into his face, but his gaze didn’t leave the stars.

Tim thought for a moment. “You are also stronger than I am.” he said, smiling. He then turned his gaze to the stars, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Cody looked at Tim and thought he wasn’t serious. “Dude, I can lift like half what you can, and that’s saying a lot. What do you mean?” Castor had sat down and started watching. He found the interaction entertaining.

Tim thought about how he wanted to say it, drawing on the cigarette. “Well, you always strive to be better, though you tend to try to emulate others. You need to stop trying to be like us and be yourself. So what if you can’t do magic like Castor or Pollux. Why don’t we focus on what you can do, or rather, what you can learn.” Tim stood up and walked out into the center of the clearing.

Cody stood up, walked to the clearings center and stood. “Okay, what do you have in mind?” Looking once more into the stars, he returned his glance to Tim. 

As the two began to train with whatever they had, Castor watched. He heard footsteps approach from behind him, “So how long before we get discovered by the demons?”

Merlin looked around watching the two spar. “I’d give it, barring any unnecessary power spikes… I’d give it-” he held out his hands and counted while thinking. “-a month at most?” he nodded, and looked at Castor.

“At best?” Castors reply sounded almost grave. Watching the two duel it out was like watching two infants fight with wooden swords. “We are going to need a lot more than that.” He crossed his arms and began paying close attention to his Anchor and ally. Watching Tim swap weapons to gain an advantage was a savage approach, but Cody had followed up with lightning striking from his fingertips. “Well I’ll be…”

“At their present rate they’ll need years, and we do not have that kind of time.” Gilgamesh appeared while speaking in his usual sparkling way. “I could try and train them but I can’t guarantee much progress.” He looked over at the two sparing and grimaced. “Corvus will not let up, already most of the Earth is his.”

“Fortunately, if all holds out, seclusion here can give us time. Otherwise we can find other places.” Pollux said, walking up to the other heroes. Castor turned and motioned to the duel, “Tell me you see it.” “Yes, he’s getting his ass kicked again, not surprising.” Pollux retorted without hesitation.

Merlin looked at Gilgamesh. “So, I can think of only a few places where we can go and achieve the training they need. Why can’t we go to one of those areas? Is Braiden’s condition any better?” he asked. 

“His condition is slowly improving but he will need more time, time that I am going to give him.” Gilgamesh stated flatly to Merlin. “We will make use of this island for now and do what little we can.”

“There isn’t much we can do. Not with accidental link.” Pollux said, walking back into the house. “He’s not an accident, it’s legit!” Castor said with a hint of anger under his breath. Cody’s and Tim’s training had turned into target practice and, without any real help, it wasn’t going well.

Gilgamesh quirked an eyebrow. “You should know just as well as I do, there are no accidents between Guardians and anchors. Just because you have yet to figure out the link does not mean it isn’t real. On to more important matters though, what are your thoughts on when we get attacked Pollux?” Gilgamesh looked at Pollux who was walking inside.

Stopping as Gilgamesh finished speaking, Pollux turned. “Simple, we run. You know just as well as I that we haven’t gained enough strength to fight off an army. And with Braiden out, Cody confused, and Tim on a power trip, we aren’t even remotely prepared.” With that, he turned back and walked inside, “I’m going to check on Braiden.”

Gilgamesh moved and was in front of Pollux extremely quickly. “He is mine to watch over, I will handle it.” He seemed almost angry before calming himself. “I agree with your assessment as much as I distaste running away.” He then looked down the hallway getting an odd feeling. “My anchor needs me, see that no one dies.” Gilgamesh vanished in golden sparkles again going back to Braiden’s room. 

Merlin watched the two anchors. He muttered barely audible to Castor who was sitting nearby. “What exactly is this that’s enchanted on my anchor? It’s elven in design, but I can’t exactly understand its purpose.” He thought for a few moments. 

Castor took a moment then turned to Merlin, “I’m sorry? Oh, you’re talking to me. I dunno. Sensing stuff like that isn’t for me, also, I don’t like elves, they’re all stupid.” He returned his gaze to the two as they kept practicing hitting targets.

Cody looked at the next target, aimed, then threw his hand out. A lightning bolt shot from the sky and split, hitting two targets. Castor sat still, like he was analyzing everything. Pollux had walked out of the house and began watching again. “If that’s not a dead giveaway...” Castor said, almost happy. “Hush, it proves nothing…” Pollux replied.

Tim laughed a bit. “Castor can you set up three different targets at random points on the island, just not around the house?” he asked, feeling slightly exhausted from projecting the previous targets.

“I mean, easily, but what kind? I can do moving, stationary, heavy, small, large, fat, bagel, llama, pizza, dandelion, green-” He trailed before Cody spoke up, “How about just standard targets?”

Tim thought for a moment, “Make them mobile, simulating demons, and make them accurate speed.” he said, noting the movement of the demons.

“That’s uncomfortable vague and specific. Plus you don’t know what type of demo-” Castor was cut off as Pollux interrupted his rambling, “Just make a grunt.” Castor shrugged, “Fine...” There was a bright flash of light. After a moment, Castor sat down and pulled up a nice hot cup of literally nothing trying to look sophisticated. “Done...”

Tim motioned, “At your go.” he said, his eyes could see for miles around the island. Trees obscuring his view, but otherwise he could see as clear as the objects were sitting near himself. 

Cody thought as he looked into the sky. He saw the stars and felt connected somehow. He felt his eyes glaze over and things seemed like he was daydreaming. Placing a hand on the ground, he focused on an image in his head, a circle with a bolt of lightning, the same that his mom had all over the house. A massive sigil appeared on the ground centered around his hand, and stone turrets grew from the ground around them. He snapped back to reality and jumped, “Okay, this is a thing that’s happening.” He looked at each one. “Uhm… Tim, give me a turret weapon idea, fast. The targets are almost here.”

Tim thought for a moment, “Magic moving armor.” he said, shrugging. He quirked an eyebrow as to where this was going.

“That’s you. Nevermind.” He thought for a moment and decided on an idea. As he aimed to the sky once more, he shot his bow straight up and watch lightning shoot down into the turrets. In the distance, the trees began to shake, the targets were here. One of the demon-like targets, with a crudely drawn smiley face on its head, charged towards Cody, only for one of the stone turrets to fire a laser and pierce a hole through the target, demolishing it. Two others flanked but were also taken out in the same fashion.

Tim watched, impressed that his friend had this much power locked away. “It would seem you can do this now. Let’s see how you do after the sun comes up. Will give a better taste of your abilities.” he said, thinking.

Cody stood, astonished by his own capabilities. He felt unique, he felt himself, he felt like his head was going to explode. “Tomorrow, yeah. I'm pretty tired, and have a killer headache.” Cody started walking to the house, and Castor threw his arm around Cody, “So, now to work on you a bit more and that shouldn’t be as challenging.” Pollux looked at Cody in a new way. One that looked almost approving.

Tim smiled and watched Cody and Castor walk off. He then lit a cigarette, sitting against one of the trees for a bit and watched the stars for a while. He stood, stretched, and started working on figuring out if he could create dynamic projections. As he worked hours passed until he had to block the sun hitting his face. He sighed and shook the tired from his body. “I need food.” He said, heading inside. Opening the door, he saw Merlin sleeping on the couch. “Well, isn’t that odd.” he noted Gilgamesh was out of Braiden’s room. “How is our friend?” he asked, leaning against the door. 

The expression Gilgamesh had could be described as being on cloud nine. He seemed extremely cheerful which was almost scary. “I believe he is recovering, I’m just grabbing some washcloths to keep him clean and cool while he rests and gets better.” One could swear he was humming to himself as he worked in the kitchen.

Cody woke up surprisingly early. He was known for sleeping in and walking like a zombie, but today felt different. After doing some morning stretches, he walked out of his room, into the bathroom, and started to wash his face. Looking up at the mirror, he saw his face, messed up hair, and some cotton in the mess. He yanked on the cotton, “Ouch! What the-... is that my actual hair?” A strip of his hair had become blue with a strange shade of white mixed in, almost radiant. Finishing up, he brushed his hair, and the color was still there. It wasn't a dream. Walking towards the kitchen, he saw Gilgamesh at the fridge. “Oh, hey. What's good in the fridge?”

Gilgamesh turned to Cody. “No idea, I don’t eat peasant food.”

Cody kinda chuckled, “I can see that. So what do you find good?” He reached for a bowl in the cabinet.

“I’m reserving my food for when my precious friend wakes up and can join us again.” With that Gilgamesh walked off with the washcloths back to Braiden’s room. He almost seemed to saunter off with a slight giddiness to his steps.

Tim walked into the kitchen and leaned against the fridge. “Now I wonder why Gilgamesh is suddenly less ‘stick up the ass’ and more ‘cloud nine’.” he then lit a cigarette.

Cody walked to the fridge for the milk and pushed Tim out of the way, “I dunno. I can’t say a lot cause I don’t know him.” Closing the fridge, he looked and Pollux was standing there, leaning against the wall, “I mean, I DO know him. This is… definitely bringing back memories.” Pollux had an intrigued look on his face. Castor walked around the corner with a smile, “Pollux, I- we have news.”

Tim stumbled, regaining his footing again. “What news?” he asked.

“I said ‘we’, not you. But you’ll know soon enough. Also, nice hair, Cody.” With that, Castor walked outside and motioned for Pollux to follow. Cody walked over to the pantry for cereal.

Tim looked at Cody after the twins left. “What is up with that, by the way?” he said, motioning to the streak of blue and white. “Turning into a Zombie?” he asked, jokingly.

“You know, I didn’t even notice till today. Maybe last night had something to do with it?” He had a box of cereal he was balancing in the bowl while he walked to grab a spoon, also carrying the gallon of milk. “Either way, it’s not… distracting, is it?”

Tim shook his head, “Not at all.” he walked over to the table and projected an ashtray. Putting out his cigarette, he pulled out his pack and lit another.

“I mean, it’s strange. I’m awake and it’s not even 8am.” Cody grabbed his spoon and sat down at the table with his stuff. Glaring momentarily between Tim smoking and the ashtray, he returned his eyes to his bowl as he poured his cereal.

Tim noted the glare, before shrugging, “Anyways, after breakfast want to try out your abilities again?” he asked, waving his cigarette around.

Cody gave an annoyed glare, then smiled, “Yeah. Sounds good. Do we wanna try the same thing?”

Tim shook his head, “Later. First, more close quarters practice.” he said, grinning evilly.

“Great, I get the chance to get beaten up again.” Cody started pouring milk into his bowl then began eating the cereal.

Gilgamesh came into the dining area with a large golden platter which he set down on the table. “Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Ham, and 4 different kinds of toast with jams, jellies, and marmalades. Enjoy.” Then he turned around to walk back into the room but stopped. “He has chosen to be friends with you as well, and for that I will be civil. But do not expect much.” With that he vanished down the hall again.

Cody dropped his spoon. His hand didn’t ever change shape, the spoon just fell. He mouth stopped moving as well. He just looked at the food. After a moment, he looked at Tim, “Who was he talking about? Braiden? Cause he’s asleep.”

Tim nodded, “Probably. He is the only one in the room, other than Gilgamesh.” Tim looked down the hall after Gilgamesh and shook his head. “He is going to be something, isn’t he?” he asked rhetorically.

Castor and Pollux walked back in and saw the platter. They quickly walked to the table, sat down, and started stuffing their faces. Cody only watched as he still forgot he dropped his spoon.

“What? Did you guys fly in on your noses?” Tim asked, snapping to get Cody’s attention, before pointing to the fallen spoon.

“I don’t see your cooking anywhere, so it wasn’t because of you.” Castor said as he shoved food into his mouth. “I think I am gonna go out and stretch some more.” Cody stood up and walked outside. Castor and Pollux remained and continued eating.

Tim shook his head. Finishing his cigarette, he put it out, got up, and made his way to the clearing again. He projected a replica of Excalibur and stuck it in the ground. He then walked several feet away, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. Projected his tonfa, he stuck them in the ground and then sat between them, lighting a cigarette as he waited for Cody to finish his stretches.

Cody finished stretching and walked towards Tim. “Alright, I stretched and wrote my living will and testimony. What are we killing me with today?” He looked at the elaborate sword and the tonfa as Tim sat there, smoking yet again.

Tim motioned to Excalibur, “Familiarize yourself with the weight. If it’s too heavy, I'll make something shorter, and lighter.” he said, projecting a roman short sword, tossing it to land in the ground next to Excalibur.

Cody examined the weight of Excalibur, then the roman short sword. “Honestly, I don't like either. You got something less sword-like?” Cody was wanting something with distance.

Tim sighed, projecting a naginata as the two others disappeared. “Better?” He asked.

He picked up the naginata and swung it around, “It’ll do.” He sounded far less thrilled then he intended to.

Tim stood up and lunged at Cody, aiming the blade of his tonfa at Cody’s left shoulder and making a downward swing.

Cody reacted clumsily, barely backing up enough to dodge. Tim came for another attack, and without really having any room, he swung the naginata up and managed to deflected the blow. ‘Now’s my chance!’ He thought as he took the bottom of the weapon and swiped at Tim’s legs.

Tim noticed the motion, and lept just above the swipe, stepping on the naginata, and kicking Cody in the jaw. ‘Sorry Cody.’ he thought, following through he spun over Cody, landing behind him, he swung downward again, aiming a strike at Cody’s neck.

Gilgamesh had tended to his dear friend who was looking more and more like himself every hour when he heard the clash of weapons. ‘Must be training.’ He gently stroked his friend's cheek. “Be back soon.” He dissipated in gold dust and reformed outside near where Cody and Tim were training.

Braiden was back in the forest and oddly enough it felt good to be there. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of nature. “Pleasant isn’t it?” Braiden looked and saw the green haired person again. “Yes it is.” He grinned and leaned against a tree. “So, are you going to tell who you are?” The person smiled and sat down on the ground putting their fingers through the dirt. “My name is Enkidu, and once upon a time I was Gilgamesh’s best friend.” Braiden’s eyes went wide. “How are you here?” Enkidu shrugged. “All I know is that when I came to again you were near what was left of my body. And so it was easy for me to jump into you. So in essence your body is hosting two souls.” Braiden sat down and was quietly thinking. “The vase!” Enkidu tilted his head. “Vase?” Braiden nodded. “Yes, my uncle always insisted I have a vase that was really eloquent and was full of clay.” Enkidu smiled and laughed a bit. “So that explains it. Ah well.” He looked around as the sky grew dark. “I’ve kept you long enough, back to sleep.” Braiden felt himself fading. “Wait, will I get to meet you again?” Before he could hear a reply the forest dropped away and he was dreaming again.

‘Interesting choice of weapon.’ Gilgamesh noticed Tim having the upper hand and he opened a gate and launched a weapon towards him at a slow speed to merely distract him.

Tim adjusted his swing, hitting the sword and deflecting it back at Gilgamesh.

Cody was both thankful, as he wasn’t going to be beaten up again. However, the random jumping in meant there was someone new to challenge. Cody stood up and grabbed at his jaw. “Jaw, don’t do that again.” He saw the look on Gilgamesh’s face, and gave a glare to Tim that he gave all the time during Magiturret tournaments, and then looked at Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh returned the weapon to his vault before it even got close to him. “Not terrible I guess, how about you learn to dodge and deflect properly? A good defense can save your life.”

Cody bent his knees a bit, “As long as I don’t get violently outclassed again, I can give it a try. Tim?” Readying his weapon, he then watched as the naginata pulse with electricity. Smiling, he looked to Tim, “Dude…”

Gilgamesh created two portals each for Cody and Tim. “They will start at 1% velocity, however the more you deflect and dodge successfully, the faster and harder they will hit. But don’t worry, should you be impaled by one of these special A rank weapons, the wound will heal instantly, it will however hurt… a lot. Are you ready?” Gilgamesh had a smile on his face that normally would seem very kind, but in this case, it seemed horrifically evil. 

Cody thought to himself for a moment. After a second or two, he sprinted full speed towards Gilgamesh and ran past the weapons thrown towards him, then jumped over Gilgamesh and swung his weapon horizontally at Gilgamesh.

Tim dissolved his tonfa, projecting instead a bo staff. Spinning it, he got a feel for the balance and quickly deflected the weapons Cody sprinted past. He then projected a spearhead on it and threw it at high speed, aiming at Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh sighed and the portals changed and threw chains which nearly instantly wrapped around Cody, Tim, and the spear. “While I applaud the idea of heading for me, you’re supposed to deflect my weapons” He dissipated and then reappeared a few feet away with the chains still in effect. “I may only be able to use a few portals, but a few is enough for you and most demons right now. Shall we try again?”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Cody said as he looked at the chains, yanking against them only to not budge an inch. “So… can I get set down?”

All the portals and chains disappeared as Gilgamesh nodded. “Now, let’s see what you can manage.” He opened three portals and launched weapons towards Cody and Tim.

Cody tried dodging as best he could. He swung the naginata to try to deflect some of the weapons, but it was like hitting fast softballs, which he wasn’t always good at. Managing to deflect 3, he felt he was getting the hang of it until he got impaled by a large spear. Screaming in tremendous pain, he collapsed to his knees. “HOLY SHIT!” Doubled over, he was full blown panicking.

Tim looked at Cody his eyes wide. “Holy shit!” he said, running over, just barely missing the weapons launched at him by Gilgamesh. “Oh…. that looks like it hurts, Cody.” he said, watching as the weapon dissolved. 

Cody watched the weapon vanish, and the pain ceased. Taking a moment to get over the trauma, he looked at Tim, “Your best friend gets impaled, and all you can say is ‘THAT LOOKS LIKE IT HURTS’?”

Gilgamesh quirked an eyebrow. “I did warn you that it would be painful. You weren’t doing too bad either. You can at least say you know what it feels like to be impaled.” The gates vanished as he said this. “Again?”

Tim shook his head. “You know how I am.” he said to Cody, before standing. He projected a bo staff, and stood ready. “Whenever you are ready, Gilgamesh.” he said, spinning the staff and setting himself into a defensive stance.

“I think for now, I’m done. Kinda have to deal with some mental issues now…” Cody said half jokingly. His mind was still trying to process everything that happened within those past 30 seconds, and by all laws of logic, he should have been dead.

“Giving up so easily? You won’t make it an hour in a proper fight. Stand your ground and stop being weak.” Gilgamesh said flatly.

“Weak? I’m human. What do you expect?” Cody said, feeling insulted. 

Tim walked over to Cody and dissolved his staff, “Calm down, Cody. Don’t take it like that. And you-” Tim turned to Gilgamesh. “-Slow down a bit. We are just getting into this. Perhaps give time for us to get stronger, not just insult.”

“The truth is never an insult, merely fact. You may be human but you also have summoned Guardians and that makes you special. It is not my problem if you can’t seem to figure out your own abilities but I suggest you learn. The enemy will not wait while you sit there and deal with mental issues.” Gilgamesh’s face was hard and serious.

“Coming from the glitter fairy, that’s rich.” Cody was clearly angry. He stood up and walked away from everyone towards the shoreline.

Gilgamesh shrugged. “If he chooses to not learn and to potentially die, so be it. I will not waste my time on someone who puts in no effort.” With that he vanished back to Braiden’s room.

Merlin had woken up and walked out to the sound of Gilgamesh’s ranting. He sighed before making his way to the clearing he had created specifically for the group’s training. By the time he got to the clearing, he saw Gilgamesh had left and Tim was standing looking concerned between Cody and where Gilgamesh had been. “You guys don’t know him very well.” he stated after Cody’s outburst.

“No, and your stupid question isn’t even remotely funny.” Cody turned to Merlin and just looked at him. He was still mad and was replaying the conversation in his head, over and over.

Merlin shook his head, waving his hand and moved Cody back to the clearing, Tim simply walked over. As soon as they were, he cleared his throat. “Well, it wasn’t a question first off. Secondly-” he said, as his face became very neutral and his demeanor stiff. “-There is a reason why he is that way. You can’t take everything personally otherwise you wind up getting nowhere, and end up dead.”

Cody turned and began walking away, “Who said I was wanting to even be over here. I walked away for a reason!” He spouted sharply. Walking towards the shore again, he stopped and began to try and calm down.

Tim stood still and sighed, “Cody…” he muttered before rubbing his temple. Merlin nodded and said, “Whenever you are ready, young Cody.”

Cody ignored Merlin as much as he could, and his headache was starting to get worse. The fact that he had only gotten this frustrated on two kinds of occasions was bothering him. One was whenever anyone brought up his father. He had never met the guy, and he never showed up when his mom was in the hospital. That alone was enough of a reason to hate the man. And the other was when he was first prescribed his meds. Remembering back, he was so defiant to start, claiming he had no need for them. A lot had changed since back then, and with the changes in the world, it was getting too much. After letting out a strong sigh, he turned around, “Look, I really don’t like what happened, and I just don’t like being yanked places I don’t want to be or against my will.” As he walked back over, he sat on a rock and rested his arms on his knees. “I’m listening… what really happened to him to make him such a jerk?”

Merlin nodded and sat on a chair that grew from the ground as a tree would. “Ok, so, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, the great half god, half human king. He ruled what was at the time all of humanity, he had been designed to be the perfect neutral party between those who had ruled Earth and those who would rule therein. His tale is recorded as mankind's oldest epic poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh which portrays him as a hero accomplishing great feats and is driven to meet his destiny with his best friend Enkidu. His title, ‘King of Heroes’ is not meant to imply that he is a king who is a hero, but rather the origin of all myths that came after him. He had a rather sad life, despite all of this. Gilgamesh was alone, despite his numerous subjects and those who claimed to love and serve him, no one truly understood him. It wasn’t until Enkidu arrived and they had a great battle that lasted for seven days and seven nights that he had finally found someone who could stand by his side as an equal. They had numerous adventures together and for a while, Gilgamesh was kind, and happy. But the gods killed Enkidu for violating what they ordered him to do, which was punish Gilgamesh for not serving them. And so, after the one person who had truly understood him in both Heaven and Earth was ripped away from him, he changed. He became arrogant, self centered, and sought every form of pleasure the Earth could offer to entertain himself. His care for the people diminished, and he died a tyrant.”

Cody watched Merlin’s face as he told the story. It was heartbreaking. Someone who started off as a kind person suddenly becoming dead inside. Gilgamesh had only one friend, one person he truly cared about, and they were killed. Cody knew that feeling all too well, and didn’t know what would happen if he ever lost Tim. “So, What now? I doubt I can just waltz up to the guy and say sorry.”

Tim shrugged, “Would be a start, and honestly he would probably just brush it off.”

Cody reached around his legs and pulled them close. He had so much going through his head and didn’t know what to do. Wanting to to apologize, wanting to stand strong, wanting to protect Tim who had become a brother to him, so many things and he didn’t know how to deal with any of it at the moment. His head began to sting more as he began to think too hard on the conversation.

Tim looked over to his friend and knew the expression he wore meant he needed to blow off some steam. Tim himself wanted to fight, but only to get stronger. He had to protect his most precious, Sam and his friends. ‘I will rend the entirety of the demon horde if it means getting to see her again.’ An image of Sam appeared before him for a split second as he unintentionally started projecting. Shaking his head, he dissipated it, but Merlin winked at Tim, saying “She is fine. Her brother will keep her safe.” he said. Getting up, Tim lit a cigarette, the one he was smoking had burnt out. He then projected their weapons again and whistled, throwing the naginata to Cody, setting himself up in a defensive stance.

Cody caught the weapon. He stood up, feeling a lack of confidence, but one he felt every time he had to work off stress. While looking down, he raised his weapon towards Tim, “Merlin, if we went all out, would you be willing to heal our wounds like Gilgamesh did earlier? I don’t want to hold anything back, since… you know… basically got impaled.”

Merlin nodded, tapping his staff on the ground. A series of wooden totems appeared surrounding the clearing. Another tap and they lit up, creating a dome of light around the clearing. “Now any wound, no matter how grievous, will regenerate. The worse the wound, the longer it will take to mend, however.” he said, waving to the dome. 

Tim nodded to Merlin and adapted his tonfa accordingly, producing bladed tonfa that was more elegant and slightly more destructive. Without a word, he launched at Cody, aiming a blow to his shoulder.

Cody was about to move when his eyes glossed over. Time slowed town and he felt like he knew what was going to happen. He trusted that feeling and reacted and spun his weapon, but instead of defending, he went for an attack. He saw the patterns Tim went for and swung his weapon in a large arc towards his arm, knowing full well he may get hit.

Tim moved his free arm to deflect the blow from his friend’s naginata before connecting his blow to Cody’s shoulder, creating a deep laceration. 

Cody flinched badly, which caused his weapon to twitch up and leave a nice gash on Tim’s abdomen. He hopped back and dropped his weapon on the ground. “AGGG! Damn it!”

Tim groaned at the pain and gripped his abdomen. He looked down and saw blood dripping from the wound, but strangely blue threads came from the wound, sewing it. “Ummm… ok… that’s interesting.” he said, then lunged at Cody, wincing at the pain. He aimed a kick into Cody’s view, also preparing an attack from above. The wound on his abdomen already began to heal.

Cody felt his shoulder heal up, and reacted impulsively. He crossed his arms to brace for the hit and a light blue shockwave made of electricity in the shape of an X pushed Tim back with force. “New, but I think I got a grasp on some of this now… maybe?” Cody grabbed his weapon and held it horizontally with one arm, pointed towards Tim. “Gilgamesh lost what he cared about, and he learned just how much by fighting. So let’s see how strong our friendship can get.” He knew what he said was super cliche, but it gave him a sense of confidence, which lead to him running towards Tim, leaving a light blue sigil behind him.

Tim’s eyes followed Cody with a bit of difficulty. He closed his eyes and allowed his other senses to take over. Tim had nearly perfected this when Sam and he would spar, though more often than not he couldn’t focus enough to use it. He felt out Cody’s movement before aiming a kick ahead of Cody’s path just in time to catch him in the jaw, sending him sliding along the ground. 

Cody flopped onto the ground, grabbing at his jaw again, “Seriously? What did I say about the jaw! Can’t you pick something else, like my hand?” He stood back up and ran towards Tim again. Before he could get close, the sigil left behind spawned a copy of Cody that rush from behind Tim. Cody took the surprise and jumped into the air, swinging down the naginata at Tim’s left shoulder.

Tim noted a slight shift in the air around him, spinning away from it, aiming a kick where Cody would land but missed due to the copy’s presence throwing him off. 

Cody used this one in a lifetime opportunity to spin and throw his weapon towards Tim, blade first. Then Cody’s hair began to glow.

Tim caught the naginata between his tonfa, turning it and launching it back at Cody. He then dissolved his tonfa and projected a bo staff, setting himself up in a defensive stance.

The naginata flew towards Cody. As he panicked, he braced for an impact, but the weapon instead hit a large sigil that spawned in front of him which caused it to fall to the ground. Cody’s eyes got wide, “I can do that?” The sigil began spinning and he thought about what it could do, ‘Causing lightning to spit out randomly could be cool’, He thought as, in that exact moment, electricity poured out of the sigil, charging right at Tim.

Tim dodged his friend’s attacks, leaping and flipping backwards. Tim’s movements seemed much faster than before. ‘Woah,’ he said, as he hadn’t moved that fast before. He slid to a stop then placing his hands on the ground, focusing. He projected a stockade that immediately wrapped itself around Cody, immobilizing him. 

Looking at his feet, he felt like he wanted to get away, and a few dozen orange sigils drew out on the ground and below his feet, causing large pillars of stone to shoot up. As he looked down at Tim, he was about 30-feet up. “You know, I can get used to this.” He looked up into the sky, the sun was shining bright. He had an idea from a previous game he played. Reaching up, he clenched his fist and said, “Dawnbreaker!” as a sword formed in his hands. It felt like it was radiating tremendous heat, but didn’t hurt. “Yes!”

Tim watched as his friend went up into the air and received a sword glowing as bright as the sun. “That looks odd.” he said, waiting for his friend’s move. He projected his tonfa, assuming a defensive posture again.

Cody looked at the stockade around his legs and then smiled again. “So I can’t dodge, but how long can you?” He pointed his sword at Tim and some of the stone pillars began to glow deep orange, then began throwing fireballs at him.

Tim dodged a couple of the fireballs before projecting a wall, blocking the worse of the fire. He then focused again, straining himself to extend his stockade projection, this time moving to restrain Cody with his hands behind his back. The stockade wrapped around his wrist with Dawnbreaker, and started moving it behind his back.

Cody tried to resist, but couldn’t. He did have an idea, though. He looked up and struggled to think of something. At this time, Castor and Pollux were now sitting next to Merlin, watching the fight go down. Pollux turned to Merlin, “Do you think they’re gonna catch on to their full potential at this rate? I still wonder if they realize just how powerful they are.”

Merlin shrugged, “They might, but at this rate, highly unlikely. They aren’t strong enough to realize their full potential.” he said, tapping his foot to the beat of music that wasn’t even there.

Castor placed his hands onto his chin, supporting his head as he watched. Cody looked down at Tim as his hair began to glow blue again. “You know, I’m not sure about the hair thing, but I like the results.” A blue X blasted from Cody and fell down the 30ft pillar towards Tim. Looking back up, he felt a refreshing breeze flow by. Taking a deep breath, he enjoyed the feeling of stress relief and burning off steam. It was the release he needed. 

Tim felt a refreshing breeze, his mind drifting to thoughts of watching Sam practicing her guitar as the music suffusing his soul, before readying himself. “Oh, this is going to be trouble.”

The X changed shape into a long slash. Tim jumped out of the way and landed in a defensive pose. The slash began to dissipate and a fireball flew right through the attack, almost hitting Tim square in the face, but he spun his body clockwise and dodged it, making it look easy. Castor looked at Pollux and smirked, “Wanna make a bet?”

Tim focused and his body moved as it did when he dodged. He started running up the pillar, projecting footholds, keeping his momentum going. Reaching the top, he aimed a kick at Cody’s head. 

Cody watched him run up the pillar, and as Tim swung his leg for a kick, he panicked again. Closing his eyes and bracing for the hit that he already saw coming right for his jaw, a sudden beam of light shot down and struck Tim right in the chest, sending him falling to the earth below. Pollux turned to Castor, “What kind of bet?”

Tim fell to the ground, landing hard on his back. Exhaling rapidly, he was winded. “Ow ow ow.” he said, unable to move. At that point Merlin tapped his staff on the ground, neutralizing the battlefield and returning both Cody and Tim to an upright, and ground level. Looking to Cody, “Got yourself sorted I take it?” he asked.

“I think so. Just… a bit tired.” Cody looked exhausted, so did Tim. As Cody started walking to the house, Castor watched but spoke in a hushed tone, “I give it 4 days. He’s already waking up.” Pollux watched Cody as well and replied just as quietly, “Running got us this far, I give it 18 days. And I’ll raise you an ‘I told you so’ on top.” Castor forgot to hush his tone when he retorted, “I TOLD you that, you can’t just use it against me.” Pollux laughed and replied, “I can, and I did.”

Tim followed Cody and Merlin walked up to Castor and Pollux. “What’s this bet you guys were going on now?” he asked, glaring back as Tim lit a cigarette. 

Castor looked at Merlin and had a look of seriousness, “We don’t have long before the demons show up. You know this. And unless they are ready, we won’t stand a chance. You know just as well as us, if our Anchor dies, we can’t come back till we find another Anchor we can connect to.” Pollux added onto this, “And if we don’t prepare them well-” Looking at Castor in an ‘I told you so’ manner, “- we will lose them. I don’t plan on losing another brother.” Pollux looked down, he was fully aware what Gilgamesh went through, he had it happen, but he sacrificed his immortality once before to stop it. Gilgamesh didn’t get the choice. Castor grabbed Pollux by the shoulder and smiled, “But Cody and Tim aren’t so stupid like we were.” “We?” Pollux quickly questioned, “You mean ‘you’, right?”

Merlin shook his head as they bickered. “If I have anything to say about it, we won’t lose anyone.” he said, before starting for the house. 

“Confident, I really hope that he knows how real the demon threat is.” Castor said as he walked past Pollux towards the house. Pollux stood back as he looked up. “I hope so. We had to destroy the world to stop the last one…” He felt the breeze and then closed his eyes. “I will not lose someone again.”

Merlin entered the house, sitting back in his chair he was in last time and saw Tim passed out in the recliner again. Shaking his head, he waved his hand, sending another blanket crawling along the ground again, covering Tim and extending the footrest. He then pulled out his book again and started reading, listening to the sounds around him. He started chanting and a barrier formed around the settlement, including the training ground. He smirked and then proceeded to doze off. 

Cody was passed out on the couch, he didn’t make it to the bedroom and was laying on his bag as a pillow. Castor walked in and looked at Cody, He felt attached to him, relatable, at best. He saw how dedicated he was becoming, and how he started to tap into the well that was his power. Castor knew that Cody was one of them. It was only about noon, but the day seemed to be moving rapidly. Giving a content sigh, he turned around and walked outside to start making some progress with his own combat training. Castor walked back to Pollux and, after a brief overview of what training they wanted to undergo, they began to practice close range combat into the late evening as the sun set and the stars shined.

Tim and Merlin slept till the following morning. Tim dreamed that the group was back in school, the war over and Corvus defeated. As he rolled over in his dorm room bed, his arms wrapped around another in his bed, the warm body pressing against his chest. Sam stirred waking and pressing herself closer to Tim, who shifted and rolled them both over, Tim ending up on top, Sam giggling. Tim kissed Sam on her lips, her scent intoxicating to him. He broke from her lips, kissing her neck on down to her stomach. As he heard Sam moan his dream was interrupted by the sun shining through the window, hitting Tim’s eyes. He stirred and groaned, pulling the blanket over his head, and checked his watch. Noting the time, he got up, cursing his interrupted dream, and folded the blanket, placing it on the back of the couch. He went into the kitchen and started cooking. Tim cooked hashbrowns, which took several minutes, and as he was frying the eggs, he could hear Cody start to stir.

Cody started rolling over, struggling to stay asleep. He had woken up a few times to Tim shuffling around in the kitchen and didn’t want to be awake. Rolling too far, he fell off the couch. “NYUH! … Couch…” Standing up and recovering from the shock, he walked into the kitchen. Seeing Tim cook, he shook himself out of his zombie state, pulled up a chair to the oven. “So, make me some eggs and I’ll make hash browns.”

Tim pointed to the table, where there was a plate of hash browns, a stack of pancakes and sausage. “Way ahead of you bud.” he said, chuckling a bit.

Cody picked up his chair, walked to the table, set his chair down, and walked over to the fridge. “But you forgot the syrup, oranges, and milk.” Cody chimed as he opened the fridge to see there was like 30 different syrup flavors. “Well, Merlin went above and beyond with the syrup. Let’s see, maple, blueberry, raspberry… Honey? That’s a new one...” He grabbed 4 varieties he had never tried before and brought them to the table.

Tim’s mind wandered a bit, drifing to his interrupted dream. He snapped back when he smelled the eggs starting to burn. Cursing, he put the scrambled eggs on a plate and walked it over to the table, sitting in one of the chairs. He started putting pancakes, eggs, and sausage on his plate. “Well he does know how to fully stock, I gotta say,” he said, pouring raspberry syrup over his pancakes.

“Today’s biggest understatement goes to…” Cody joked as he began putting hash browns, eggs, and sausage on his plate.

The first thing Braiden noticed was the smell of food. And boy was he hungry, as a matter of fact he felt like he hadn’t eaten in days. He opened his eyes and the sudden feeling of weakness and grogginess smacked him hard. He tried to stand up but his body was not happy with him. He felt old, as his joints creaked and groaned and he had aches everywhere. “Jesus, what happened to me?” He suddenly was aware of a presence in the room. Said presence wrapped arms around him and helped him up. ‘Don’t worry, I’m still here.’ Braiden heard Enkidu’s voice and felt comforted by the fact that he was still around.

“You’re body has changed to accommodate new power, but it took a toll on you.” Gilgamesh was genuinely smiling and he looked so happy. “I’ll help you to the kitchen so you can eat and see your friends.”

Braiden was taken aback but nodded. With Gilgamesh’s help he stood up and started walking. He noticed his body was shaped slightly different and he felt like he was taller. “What exactly happened to me?” 

Gilgamesh was just smiling and holding up a lot of Braiden’s weight without even complaining. “You came back to me.” His eyes looked watery but his expression said it all.

Braiden looked down to floor knowing what he meant and simply nodded as they entered the kitchen. “Hey guys, what have I missed?” He lifted his head up and tried his best to look perky.

Tim stood up, he had just finished eating, noticing Braiden looked very different. “Talk about a transformation.” he said, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Motioning to the table, “I know it’s not food fit for a king, but I hope you will at least give it a try.”

“Yeah, the food is really gooooooooo-” Cody had looked up and seen Gilgamesh happily helping a totally different looking Braiden. He was shocked at the difference and was stuck trying to say ‘good’ and dropping his fork. Not only did his hair completely change, but so did his size. He wasn’t nearly as muscular anymore, but he was also taller than he remembered. Struggling to understand and process the change, he was left glaring at Braiden.

Tim smacked Cody on the back of the head to snap him out of it. He then focused a bit, projecting a pair of gold thrones for Gilgamesh and Braiden.

Gilgamesh looked at the thrones and quirked an eyebrow. “That’s not necessary, my friend doesn’t usually go for such splendor.” He sat Braiden down at the table and joined him at another seat. No one seemed to notice that he was in normal clothes instead of armor. “Let’s eat shall we?”

Braiden was still somewhat weak but the smell and look of the food motivated him to dig into the pile. “This is so good.” Gilgamesh was just smiling and sipping on some kind of juice while watching Braiden in a very endearing manner.

Tim sat next to Cody, and projected an ashtray, and a vent above him. The vent automatically removed the smoke from the air. Knocking some ash off, he looked at Gilgamesh again, noting he wasn't blindingly gold. “So what's the deal?” He asked motioning to Braiden.

Cody sat there, silent. He was still looking at Braiden with a look of amazement. He was the same person, but his looks changed so much. “Uhm… Braiden, have you been practicing random abilities in that room for a few days now? Cause from my experience thus far, changes can happen from that. Thus my hair, and your… well… everything.”

Braiden stopped eating and got quiet for a moment. Did he tell them that he had another soul within him or did he keep that to himself for now? ‘That is entirely up to you, I could switch places with you to ease the explanation.’ He didn’t realize he was quiet and still for quite a bit of time as he pondered what to do.

Cody looked at Braiden and stood up. “Well, no need pushing for answers when I don’t even know why my hair changed.” Cody finished eating, put his plate into the sink, and started walking towards the door, intending to walk to the clearing. “Braiden, when you’re done eating, I am gonna be training a bit outside, Tim will probably join-” Cody gave a sly glance to Tim, “And you’re free to join as well. On a side note, Gilgamesh, can I… uhm… talk to you outside?” Cody went from confident to shy really quick.

Gilgamesh merely quirked an eyebrow. “Your apology is unnecessary.” He stood up and gave a slight bow with his left hand over his chest. “I apologize for being condescending, in the future I will strive to be more understanding.”

Staring in unfulfillment, Cody was not expecting that reply. He didn’t mind it, but it felt like he still needed to apologies for being needlessly rude before understanding his end. “No, it’s fine. I misunderstood your angle and came off as arrogant. You have no reason to apologize.” He turned towards the door after bowing in a similar manner akin to Gilgamesh’s and headed towards the field.

Gilgamesh sat back down and looked at Braiden. “I will admit I misjudged your friends. They seem to be….capable.” He seemed to articulate the last word very carefully. Braiden grinned and chuckled. “Big of you to admit it.” Gilgamesh looked away and almost appeared to be lightly blushing.

Tim pulled out his phone, his attention being tugged away from the group he was with. He unlocked it and cursed under his breath, seeing no signal. ‘Don’t know what I was thinking would happen with the end of the world.’ he thought to himself. Opening his photos, he pulled up one of several he had of Sam. ‘Be safe… please.’ he thought, his lips curled into a soft smile.

Braiden finished his food and stood up and stretched. “Shall we go train?” ‘Your body will be stronger than before, brace yourself.’

Gilgamesh stood up and nodded. “Whatever you want to do.” He went outside with Braiden and they went to the clearing and found Cody warming up. 

Braiden smiled. “Mind if we join?”

Cody stood straight up after he finished his stretches and nodded. “I did extend an offer. What do you want to train on?” Cody looked eager and ready. “Just know that without Merlin’s healing totems, I am kind of cautious to fight one on one with anything sharp or painful.”

Tim jumped at the sound of Merlin tapping his staff on the ground. “Where is everyone?” Tim asked. Merlin answered, “I think they went out to train. I was just coming to see if you wanted another match like last time between you and Cody.” Tim nodded, putting his phone away as he began making his way to the clearing.

Braiden limbered up a little. “I’m not sure, I just know I feel different. I want to see what’s changed.” He looked over at Gilgamesh. “Hey, mind throwing some weapons at me. Don’t hold back.” He remembered the incident at the school and figured that’s what Gilgamesh did. He got a brief mental flash of an epic battle between Gilgamesh and Enkidu confirming the idea.

Gilgamesh smiled gleefully and nodded. He opened up 4 portals and launched 4 weapons and max velocity towards Braiden. There was a boom and smoke and dust thrown up into the air but, when it started to settle, Braiden was just fine, holding one of the weapons thrown at him with the other 3 knocked off to the side. Gilgamesh smiled and laughed out loud. “This brings back memories.” He then launched more waves of weapons.

Braiden was deflecting and dodging the weapons with ease when he got tired of using his current one he would grab a new one and use that for a moment or two. Within moments the sound of clashing steel and ground explosions was all that could be heard as Braiden and Gilgamesh went all out. Braiden was gaining on Gilgamesh’s position who opened a portal behind Braiden now having 5 of them. Braiden without flinching flipped and dodged and made it to Gilgamesh holding the sword up to his neck. “I win!” Braiden could feel Enkidu grinning. ‘Told you.’

Gilgamesh hadn’t felt this happy and excited in a long time. Seeing Braiden move like his friend and managing to match him was a feeling he had long missed. “Yes, you do my friend, shall we go play with the others now?”

Braiden chuckled and nodded. “Sure, let’s go see what they want to do.” He heard Enkidu’s voice. ‘I am worried he does not see you and only sees me.’ Braiden nodded to himself. ‘Perhaps in time?’ He didn’t get a response back.

Cody’s jaw dropped, “Yeah, I’ll sit out of training with you two from now till the end of time.” He turned to Tim who was walking out of the house and hesitantly asked, “So what kind of training do you wanna do?”

Tim walked into the clearing just as the smoke cleared. Lighting a cigarette, he said, “So this is where you got off to.” He motioned for Merlin to activate the healing field. After a tap of his staff, the totems sprang to life.

“I only told you as I was walking out. Did you hit your head on the ground THAT hard yesterday? Anyways, how do we wanna do this?” Cody asked. Just then, a small pillar of fire, and a pillar of ice emerged from the earth, both vanishing just as fast as they came, revealing Castor and Pollux. Castor looked at the group, and turned to Pollux, “Told you.” Pollux’s face got sour, like he lost an unknown bet, and Castor walked over to Braiden. “Welcome back. How're you feeling?”

Tim looked at Cody with a quirked eyebrow. “I’m sorry. I got distracted.” he said, holding up his phone, which he then placed in his jacket pocket. Taking off his jacket, he placed it on the ground behind Merlin, Castor and Pollux, and rolled up his sleeves. “So, how should we do this?” he asked, looking at the others. Tim closed his eyes, and focused, projecting a small array of weapons, mostly swords, spears, hammers, and axes.

Braiden grinned. “I’m doing good, just ready to stretch the muscles and see what powers I have, you know?” He looked over at Gilgamesh who was still smiling. “I’m good for whatever, we could always do a battle royale?”

“Battle Royale? Like us and our Protectors?... Myths, leaders, pawns...” Cody didn’t know what to call the mythical beings that seemed to link themselves with each of his friends, but after a moment, Pollux shrugged, “The term is Guardian.”

“Or just between us? However we want to do it. Something to test our limits.” Braiden was looking excited and full of energy.

Cody smiled, “Since there is now the totem area of ‘I am not gonna hurt as bad’, I think this could be fun.” He turned to Gilgamesh, “Did you want to set the rules? I figure you have more ideas then I do.” 

Gilgamesh chuckled. “Why don’t you three just have some fun and test your own limits? You guys are not ready to take us guardians on.”

Pollux and Castor both looked at Gilgamesh and then to each other, “Yeah, not even close.” Castor said.

“Fair point. So, I call the spear.” Cody ran towards the spear and happily took it. He liked the feel.

Tim shrugged, projecting his tonfa again, these ones appearing more gold and elaborate complete with blades. Lighting a new cigarette, he readied himself. “This will be fun.” Tim looked over the tonfa, and noted they looked alot like Excalibur, with a smooth blade that ran the length of his forearm, and extended past his fists. ‘Oh, yes.’ he thought to himself.

Cody spun the spear around a bit, and then set himself up for combat. Castor looked over at Cody and shrugged his shoulders. “Cody, come here real quick.” Walking over, Cody seemed concerned, Castor didn’t ever seem serious. “Yes?” Looking Cody in the eyes, Castor started off on a high note, “Kick their asses. Also, stop relying on us so much. Do your own thing. Do what’s natural. You do you, as I had heard people saying.” Cody laughed at Castor’s attempt at being ‘hip’ and then tried to grasp what he said. He thought he was being himself. Making his way back to his spot, all he did was question what HE does. Cody wondered what Castor was trying to do, but decided to try and be himself even more.

Tim grinned, before rushing Cody, while he was distracted. He spun his tonfa around bringing down the blade, ready to slice Cody’s neck.

Cody thought about doing something he always did, but thought about those words again, ‘Do your own thing’. The only thing he really did a lot of was study myths and astrology, make mods for games, and run.. He wished he could make that Magic Armor turret real soon. Suddenly, without warning, a massive sword swung out of nowhere and repelled Tim with the blunt end of the 7 foot long weapon. Behind Cody was, in fact, the exact model for the 14 foot Magic Armor turret that he and Tim had wanted to make. Castor smiled wide.

Gilgamesh smiled and summoned a gate with the hilt of a sword sticking out. “For you to use, my friend.”

Braiden took the sword and rushed at Tim. He glanced at the sword and it was beautiful and felt full of powerful energy. He swung quickly aiming for Tim’s right arm in a downward stroke while also keeping his grip slightly slack to quickly adjust the blades trajectory in case.

Tim felt the intent, moving his other arm to intercept the blade, he knocked the blade to the side, still moving backwards from the blow from the Magic armor. ‘Caliburn?’ he thought, even starting to say it aloud. He flipped, sticking his tonfa in the ground, slowing his speed. As he slowed, he pulled himself up, placing his feet on the tonfa, projecting a new set, he used the tonfa to launch himself at Braiden, swinging his tonfa for a quick cut on his arm.

Cody saw the two now taking each other on, ‘this is my chance’ he thought as he dropped his spear and ran towards Braiden and Tim. He reached his arms behind him and thought about pulling out a pair of twin swords. As he swung his arms out, he saw two swords form in his hands, made of pure lightning. He ran past Tim, swinging both swords aimed at his back. Castor’s smiled dropped into a monotone expression. Pollux nudged him, “What was that about ‘I told you’, hmmm?”

Tim’s body reacted faster than his brain could think. His hand came up, switching his tonfa to a bo staff, he caught the blades, knocking them from hitting him. He spun, throwing his staff, adding a spear tip to it. He held out his other hand, spawning another staff.

Cody felt a thrill of fighting against two opponents, wishing he could fight both, he decided to focus on one. Tim was something he knew, so he turned his focus to Braiden, He started rushing Braiden and swung his swords, creating two shockwaves forming an X shape, then pushing an electrical blast from him following the X to have a second attack moving closely behind. 

Braiden focused on his sword and it started glowing white he cut through the X and then leaped over the second attack and landed with a spin dash towards Cody. He felt a second sword launched at him and he caught it noticing it too was very ornate and thrumming with energy. Now dual wielding he swung at Cody and clashed with his swords, the two he was using glowing pale white and emitting pulses.

Cody was excited this was a challenge. He knew he wasn’t as strong as Braiden, so he pushed another lightning pulse out, forcing Braiden back and then sent an onslaught of shockwaves towards him.

Braiden was dodging and weaving around the shockwaves and then he leapt to the side and bull rushed Tim, both glowing swords in hand. He swung and connected with the staff.

Tim had just caught Braiden’s swords, blocking them with one side of the bo staff. He swung it to the side, knocking the swords aside, following through, connecting with the side of Braiden’s head.

Cody took advantage of the situation and ran towards Braiden dragging his swords through the earth, creating a shrill screech. He swung both upwards creating shockwaves and then spun around swinging horizontally sending two faster shockwaves crashing into the first set, launching them both at a faster rate. Pollux shrugged, “I feel this is only getting worse as time goes on… He’s only imitating them.”

Braiden saw the staff coming and as it touched his head he moved with it so there was no impact and he leapt backwards through the air several feet away avoiding the shockwaves as they passed under him. He landed on the ground and instinctively took a deep breath and started singing. The song was unintelligible to human ears however the effect was not. The air itself seemed to groan, the ground grumbled, the tide pulled away and a large wave started forming, the trees and plants started growing and moving towards Cody and Tim.

Gilgamesh jumped in and covered Braiden’s mouth. “Enough for now, my friend. You’re delving into dangerous territory.”

Braiden stopped singing and looked embarrassed as everything returned to normal. “Sorry.” He wasn’t quite sure where it had come from. ‘That was some of my power that spilled through due to stress.’ 

Cody figured going towards Braiden at this moment was going to hurt, considering Gilgamesh was standing right there. He looked towards Tim as his lightning swords vanished and Dawnbreaker appeared. “Hey Tim, catch.” Cody dragged his foot over the ground and stomped, a huge yellow sigil appeared below his feet and causing his sword to glow a blinding white. Cody wanted this moment to feel surreal, so in a lapse of combat etiquette, shouted, “SOLAR BEAM!” The sigil brightly flashed and a massive beam of light shot down towards Tim, spanning 20 feet wide.

Castor walked calmly towards Gilgamesh, Pollux follow very close behind. “So, Gilgamesh. Not to be rude or anything. But… what are we going to do now? We just blipped on a massive scale.” Pollux cringed at the lack of tact, however couldn’t help but agree.

Tim breathed for a split second, before placing his hands on the ground. As his Bo staff dissipated, he focused on the earth itself, projected a wall of earth. He then moved aside, propelling himself away from the wall of earth. 

Merlin walked over to where Castor, Pollux, and Gilgamesh were gathered. “The barrier I put up around the island will only repel the grunts. It will do no good against the higher demons.” he said, watching the fight.

Gilgamesh nodded. “I know, which is why I stopped him as soon as I could, but the damage is done.”

Braiden was about to apologize when the ground shook and the house they were using exploded as a massive 40ft demon erupted from the ground and stared at them with a grin. Braiden paled slightly. “Oh shit.” ‘Oh dear. I may have to come out for this.’

Gilgamesh opened five portals and launched weapons. “Everyone get to Vimana now!”

Cody looked at the demon in fear then turned to run towards the ship as a massive wall jumped from the earth stopping his path. Castor and Pollux started to rush towards him as the walls jumped in front of them, closing their line of sight with him. Cody thought for a moment back to the fight with Tim previously. He slammed the ground with his hand and an orange sigil drew below him, creating a large pillar that propelled him through the air and over the wall. He landed a lot less graceful than desired, but landing without breaking bones was a nice finish. He continued his sprint towards the ship as Castor and Pollux came back into view.

Braiden and Gilgamesh were running headlong to Vimana with Gilgamesh’s gates managing to keep the demon at bay as the weapons made impact and took chunks out. Braiden focused, switching places with Enkidu, who then started singing. Roots and plants shot out of the ground and wrapped around the demon restraining it as water from the ocean came crashing in and formed a bubble around it. He had to keep singing to maintain it and he was getting more and more tired by the second to keep it up as Braiden’s body was not accustomed this this level of power. He managed to climb onboard with Gilgamesh and nearly collapsed out of exhaustion breaking the song and switching back to Braiden who winced and felt completely drained again. ‘Sorry, it was the only way.’ Braiden nodded to himself. ‘Its okay.’

Tim and Merlin were running to Vimana when Tim saw roots and vines growing, wrapping around the creature. He heard singing, which he couldn’t make out. He watched as the ocean moved around it, forming a bubble. After a few seconds, the singing stopped, he noticed Vimana starting to lift off. The bubble burst, the ocean returning to its former position. Tim then projected the earth, moving upwards, he launched himself onto Vimana. As he was flying through the air, he focused, projecting a wooden stockade, locking down the demon to the earth. Merlin was muttering some incantations, and the stockades glowed, becoming reinforced. “Gilgamesh? What size weapons do you have?” Tim asked, pointing to the creature in the stockade. Tim’s body visibly shook from the strain it took to bind the demon.

Pollux turned to Gilgamesh and bowed, “My Lord, allow me to end this abomination.” Pollux had very stern but respectable tone in his voice.

Gilgamesh glanced at the thing and tapped a finger on Vimana, opening up a couple of hidden ports revealing missiles of some kind. “At my current power level these missiles won’t kill it. However, if you enhance them, they will.” They launched up and hovered around Vimana waiting.

Pollux walked to the edge of Vimana and looked at the demon. He held his hand out, palm facing the monster, and an enormous sigil appeared in the air. It had symbols from multiple languages and eras amidst the circles. The air chilled, and the sky got dark. Cody’s hair began to stand on end. Castor looked at Cody and pointed up. The moon was shining bright and the sun was almost looking away. “Close your eyes. Now.” Pollux demanded. Cody quickly covered his eyes with his forearm, as Braiden and Tim did the same. The sigil shined brilliantly and shot lunar energy towards and into the magic missiles Gilgamesh commanded. “At you order,” Pollex turned to Gilgamesh and waited.

Gilgamesh waved his hand and the missiles came to life with brilliant lunar energy that was both magnificent and terrifying. “I have given them over to you. Fire when ready.”

Pollux turned his gaze back to the demon, then gave a smile that bordered sinister. “Be gone.” The missiles shot at blinding speed towards the demon, exploding and then imploding upon impact. Each burst causing the demon to scream. Every explosion causing a magnificent light show that only the guardians could withstand to watch.

Tim sat down as his projection was destroyed by the missiles. His body stopped shaking as the strain was lifted, only feeling drained. His vision flickered a bit and he cursed. ‘This is very annoying.’ he thought. “Well, that island’s a bust.”

Cody shrugged, looking back at the house and seeing it was gone lead to a rather obscure reply, “And there goes my bag again…”

”Any other ideas for location?” Tim asked, looking to the others.


	4. The Face of Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter to be reposted. All following chapters will have been edited first.

Gilgamesh stood up. “I have a place.” Vimana sped off at high speed for about a solid 10 minutes before coming to a stop. “I’ll need supplemental energy to summon this, I do not yet have the raw power myself to open a gate this large. Lend me some of you power.” He looked at Merlin, Castor and Pollux.

Merlin, Castor, and Pollux held out their hands, Merlin being the focus for the group’s mana. He started chanting an incantation, drawing mana from not only the guardians, but also some of the microscopic organisms as well as natural leylines. A visible chain attached itself to Gilgamesh, supplying him with enough mana to open the gate. 

Gilgamesh reached his hand up and a massive gate easily the size of a small city opened up and a floating structure emerged from it golden and gilded with gems and it shined like a beacon. “BEHOLD! The hanging Gardens of Babylon!” After the structure was fully out, Vimana raced to it and after a few moments of flying, docked in a bay full of fully armed Vimanas. “This is a mobile base of operations, it’s also a reality marble so only that which I allow may enter.”

Castor got off of Vimana and took a few steps away from the ship. “It’s been awhile since I was last here.” Cody hopped off the ship and was astonished at the regality of the floating fortress. “This is amazing. It’d probably take me like 6 hours to run 1 lap around here!” he exclaimed.

Tim got up, and walked off, hands in his pockets. Looking around, he whistled, “Impressive.” he said, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and lighting one. “Just how big is this Vault of yours?” he asked Gilgamesh, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he spoke.

Gilgamesh got off Vimana holding an unconscious Braiden. “It doesn’t have a physical size per se, so technically limitless.”

Cody started to walk towards what looked like a doorway when his stomach rumbled. “So, I assume this place has a kitchen of some sorts, yes?” He turned to Gilgamesh, saw him holding Braiden, and his face turned to one of concern. “... Is he just exhausted or should I be worried?”

Gilgamesh nodded. “Yes, there is a kitchen. Fully stocked, and yes he’s just tired. Singing in the language of the gods for the first time took it out of him.” He then started off with Braiden to his room.

“So, how are we going to do this? Switching out randomly or in an emergency? Or should we take turns?” Braiden was talking to Enkidu inside the mental forrest again. “It is your body, I say you decide.” Braiden thought for a few moments before giving an answer. “Well, I suppose he’d probably like to talk to you, and it would let you clarify that we are different.” Enkidu nodded. “That’s fair, but what about in general?” Leaning up against a tree Braiden looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. “While I do like being in control of my own body, I also think it would only be fair to let you out as well so you weren’t stuck in here all the time.” Enkidu looked surprised. “You are too kind, I will do my utmost to ensure your body is well taken care of while I am in possession.” He gave a low bow and Braiden smiled. “I appreciate that.” The sky started to grow dark again. “Time for you to sleep properly.” Braiden drifted off once more into dreamland.

Tim walked up next to Cody, “What do you think of that?” he asked, motioning to where Gilgamesh and Braiden just were. 

“Not sure. It's different, I'll tell you that.” Cody watched Gilgamesh walk away and wondered the same thing to himself.

Tim asked, “Do you think that potentially…?” he trailed off as he drew off the cigarette.

Cody, without missing a beat, continued the sentence, “-There’s bacon in the fridge? Cause that’s the more important question. I could care less who likes who.”

Tim shook his head, “Not where I was going, my clueless friend.” he said, laughing a bit, before clapping Cody on his shoulder, and starting towards the kitchen.

“Maybe even sausage… I wonder if there’s chicken, OH! That means I’d need green peppers, an onion a-... Hey! Don’t just walk away from me while I talk food!” Cody jogged to catch up to Tim and pestered him to finish his thought. “So what did you mean about ‘potentially’ blank?”

Tim drew off his cigarette, “You don’t think it’s odd, Gilgamesh’s change in attitude, and Braiden’s sudden appearance change, and a drastic one at that? I mean the guy goes from blonde hair and muscles, to a lanky and tall form with long green hair.” he asked, looking to his friend.

Cody points to his hair. “Not really, just more shocking. But Gilgamesh’s attitude change is both relieving and concerning.” Cody crossed his arms and started thinking more about the changes the two made.

Tim tried to think about how to put it. Drawing off his cigarette again, he asked, “Do you remember the story Merlin told us about Gilgamesh?”

Braiden came to on a rather plush bed. He lifted his head up and looked around to see that the room was very lavish and rather large for just a bedroom. Sitting up more Braiden caught movement out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Gilgamesh had changed from his armor to more simplistic clothing, if simple was ever a word you could use to describe him. “Hi, how long was I out?” Gilgamesh answered without turning away from the vanity he was sitting at. “Only an hour or so. Not very long. How are you feeling?” Braiden went through a mental checklist of different parts of his body and determined that while he felt achy in his legs he seemed fine. “I’m alright I guess, still a little groggy.” It was then that he noticed that Gilgamesh was shirtless and he couldn’t help but stare. Getting up from the vanity Gilgamesh moved to the bed and sat down on the edge looking over Braiden who noticed he was also shirtless. Braiden attempted to pull up the covers only to have Gilgamesh gently stop him. “I have an idea for helping you wake up.” His voice was low and husky. Braiden gulped as his heart accelerated and his face flushed. Gilgamesh pulled off the covers completely and leaned in close to Braiden’s ear and whispered something that caused his eyes to go wide.

“Yeah, it's a nightmare.” Cody replied, while turning the corner to another long hallway.

Tim chuckled a bit, “Ok… Remember the part that said that there was only one person who understood and could stand with him as an equal?” he asked, hoping for a lightbulb moment.

“Yes, But if you're implying that Braiden is a myth, I may think you're cra-... okay… you may have a point.” Cody stopped momentarily as he thought about the past few days and the literal breaking of logic.

Tim thought for a moment, and Merlin spoke, “But that would mean that the Gods screwed up somehow. From what I understand, Enkidu wasn’t supposed to be reincarnated.” he said. Tim turned to the mage, and quirked an eyebrow. Merlin then vanished, dropping through a portal that opened in the floor.

“But that’s also assuming Braiden is Enkidu, and I don’t think he is. Or rather, not entirely. He had no idea who Gilgamesh was at first. And to have two people in one body doesn’t even sound like a good thing. Just having two separate voices in my head was enough to drive me mad.” Cody replied. Even in theory, Braiden was still himself. So to be Braiden, and also Enkidu, would be conflicting to say the least.

Turning left, Tim noticing the kitchen was the size of a house. “Well I’ll be damned.” he said, admiring it. “And wouldn’t that technically be three voices in your head? Since you have dual Guardians?” he asked.

“I did say two separate voices, meaning other than my own. So…” Cody rounded the turn behind Tim and nearly screamed. “Dude… I’m gonna make an ultima pizza!”

Tim shook his head. “Dude, these are probably the best ingredients in the world, and you want waste them on a pizza?” he asked, not surprised but still disappointed.

“Dude, not just pizza. The BEST pizza!” Cody was way more excited then realistically reasonable.

Tim sighed, and looked at Cody. “I don’t want to waste ingredients on a pizza. Even if it will be the best pizza.” he said, making his way to the stove, hunting for pans. After finding one, he began picking out ingredients. A couple of hours passed, and he was putting the finished dishes on the dining area table. He had made appetizers, entrees, and desserts, including homemade ice cream, and shortcake. Most of what he made were elaborate vegetarian dishes, complemented with some sides of meat. Sitting down in one of the chairs, he lit a cigarette, waiting on the others. After some time, he pulled out his cell phone but cursed as he had no signal. He opened his photos and stared at a picture of Sam. ‘I will see you again, my love.’ he thought. The picture was taken a year ago, and Sam’s hair was longer, stopping just at the small of her back. She had just recently dyed her hair with streaks of red a couple days before the picture was taken.

Cody had been kicked out of the kitchen by Tim, and lost his opportunity to make an amazing pizza. Running around the outside of the fortress seemed like a great exercise. The run was feeling great, he kinda missed the track at school, but that place was probably long gone now. Reminiscing on everything, he thought back to a few days before what he deemed ‘The Invasion’, He had compared grades with Tim, who had nearly the identical overall score for their Myth Midterm. Sam had come out with a B- which prompted Tim to get a ‘Feel Better Taco Night’ because she normally had high grades. He ran past the hallway that led to the kitchen and was immediately hit with the smell of fresh food, snapping him out of his thoughts. His stomach quickly reminded him that he was running off of almost no food for close to 19 hours. Turning down the hall in full sprint, he kept speed as he made it to the table. Sitting down, he went to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “So you had a few hours to make food, and you decided to make veggies instead of the BEST pizza? At least there’s some meat.”

Cody and Tim were sitting in the dining area when a portal opened, and Merlin stepped out. “Well, it would seem that most if not all of the major cities were overrun. Paris is ablaze with flames, Berlin’s walls are crumbling. Also, your city is completely destroyed. It’s now a crater.” he said, walking over and sitting in one of the chairs. He then tapped his staff, and the portal closed. 

Tim's eyes went wide in shock. “What about Sam? Is she ok?” he asked, cigarette dropping from his mouth. “She is fine. It seems her brother has a powerful guardian. They have enveloped the school in some kind of temporal barrier.” Merlin said before sitting at the table. Sighing in relief, Tim leaned back in his chair. 

Gilgamesh came walking in with Braiden, both were dressed in fancy non fighting clothes. They sat down and served themselves, oddly, they both had a certain glow about them.

“This looks fantastic, who cooked?” Braiden asked as he was serving himself a little of everything.

Tim waved. “I took a culinary arts program at school for a couple years. Almost graduated, then realized I had too much fun to be tied to a career in it. I hope everything is good. The ingredients alone are fantastic.” he said, breathing out a cloud of smoke.

Cody heard what Merlin said and everything hit him. All of the long hours of school, the late night chinese runs, studying for finals next to the fountain, outrunning Tim behind the dorm after throwing water on him when he smoked in the dorm rooms, he’d never be able to relive those. His home was, as far as he had been told, destroyed, and any hope of returning was dashed by his blunt, heartless delivery. Taking a moment to reconnect with his surroundings, he noticed Braiden and Gilgamesh now eating at the table and Merlin was eating like he didn’t want to offend anyone, taking small bites. He took an extra second to double take at Braiden, he looked revitalized. Gilgamesh looked delighted as well. In fact, they both looked like they were full of euphoric ecstasy. Cody took a moment to think where and when he had seen that kind of thing before. And it dawned on him. That only happened at college after crazy parties. He spoke before thinking, “So, did you two bang or something?” Looking up, he saw the twins standing in the doorway, and both facepalming.

Gilgamesh looked up at Cody. “Yes we did.”

Braiden blushed profusely but didn’t say anything. He did however really start to think back to the encounter. ‘We...really did do that didn’t we?’ He could almost feel Enkidu shaking. ‘Yes, you did. And now you and Gilgamesh need to leave the table for a moment so we can have a little chat.’ Braiden was slightly confused but there was another emotion there as well. He couldn’t quite place it, violated maybe? No, it wasn’t that. Jealous perhaps? Yeah kinda, jealous of what though. Thinking back Braiden felt more like that whole thing was more for Enkidu than himself and then the feeling clicked perfectly. Now he was angry, and hurt. Standing up swiftly he quickly left the dining area feeling the sting of tears in his eyes.

Gilgamesh stood up and started following Braiden, concerned at his sudden departure. He followed Braiden all the way to the hall outside. “What’s wrong my friend?” Braiden nearly broke there. ‘I can’t do this.’ Enkidu switched with Braiden. ‘Don’t worry, I got this.’ Braiden’s aura shifted before he spoke. “It’s been a long time hasn’t it?” He turned around and walked right towards Gilgamesh who was extending his arms for a hug only to be slapped across the face. “I’m making one thing perfectly clear, this is Braiden’s body. I am merely a guest it in, and what you just did is unacceptable.” Enkidu was angry and glaring at Gilgamesh. “You slept with him, but even I could tell I was more on your mind than he was. Did you ever stop to think about how it would make me feel? Or how it’s making Braiden feel at this very moment?” Gilgamesh stood still for a moment his face expressing mild shock. “What? But that's not what I planned. Why is there both of you?” Enkidu glanced around. “She is involved.” Giving another surprised but knowing look Gilgamesh nodded. Braiden was curious but restrained asking at the moment. “Now, about your anchor. I know you're attracted to him, otherwise you wouldn't have slept with him. So spill” Gilgamesh looked taken aback. “I've slept with many people, it just so happened that he and I were there at the right time.” Enkidu sighed. “You should know by now you can't lie to me. You were intimate with him, sensual even. You have feelings you just won't admit it.” Gilgamesh went red in the face. “This is not the proper time to discuss such frivolous matters!” With that he walked away back to the dining room. Braiden and Enkidu switched again. ‘Thanks.’ Braiden could feel Enkidu smile. ‘You're welcome.’

Cody had watched the two leave and suddenly felt bad. Braiden didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would invest a lot of emotions in anything, but at the same time, Gilgamesh didn’t sound offended by what was asked. To watch them walk away rather quickly only worsened his feeling. He stood up after a moment and followed.

Tim shook his head, “Now look what you did.” he said, smacking Cody on the back of the head with a projected hand.

Cody was knocked into the doorframe by Tim’s action, making a loud thud. “Ow! What the hell was that for?” He rubbed his head and continued outside.

Gilgamesh was walking back into the room when he almost bumped into Cody. He paid no mind and walked passed and sat back down looking slightly solemn.

Braiden wasn't far behind Gilgamesh, he however was so lost in thought he collided with Cody. He stumbled backwards a bit. “So sorry.” His expression could be described as melancholic.

Cody stumbled backwards, “No, it’s okay. But are you? You kinda took off.” His entire expression displayed concern.

Braiden looked at Cody for a moment. “I have a lot on my mind, and having another voice isn't always helpful.” He looked towards Gilgamesh. “There are things I need to sort out.”

Cody grabbed at his own head, “Believe me, I get that. Imagine 2 arguing ones.” He chuckled a bit. “Did you wanna try some target practice or something?”

Braiden actually smiled. “Yes I’d love to.” He poked his head into the dining hall. “Gilgamesh, is there a training hall or something we could use?” Gilgamesh looked up and, after a moment's pause, snapped his fingers. Braiden and Cody were teleported to a vast training area, it was at least six football fields in size. “Holy shit!”

Tim smirked, sitting across from the God-King. “So would you be willing to answer a question for me, Gilgamesh?”

Merlin stopped eating, knowing where Tim was going to go, but said nothing.

Gilgamesh looked up at Tim. “That’s King Gilgamesh to you.” He gave a stern look for a moment before sighing and rubbing his temples. “But I can hardly expect that from you, what is it you want to know?”

“Apologies, sir.” Tim said, before standing and starting toward the kitchen again. “Would you like some tea?” He asked.

Staring blankly at Tim for a few moments he suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh you mortals never cease to amuse me. Yes serve some tea then ask what you really want to know.” He chuckled for several more moments before calming down and going back to his internal contemplation. ‘Am I really that attracted to him?’ He thought back to his room and found that he did in fact act differently than with other lovers. ‘Could I really be…?’ 

Tim was impressed to find dried herbs for tea already there. He pulled a few pinches of peppermint leaves, dried lemon and lavender buds. Putting them in an infuser he began to brew a tea he had made a hundred times for when he and Sam would kick Cody out of the dorm room, which his retort was always “You guys can't hang out in her room?” he was brought out of his daydream by the whistle of the tea kettle. He walked out to the table and mixed the herbs with the hot water, straining the herbs leaving a fragrant Peppermint lavender tea. “Here we are.” He said, handing some tea to the two guardians.

Gilgamesh sipped it and gave a small nod. “It is acceptable.” He then focused on Tim and looked at him expectantly.

Cody was in an instant somewhere he had never seen before. “... Woah...” The area was massive. It had almost anything in the lines of training. Targets, olympic-caliber training fields, huge swimming pools. Potentially his most noticed landmark of training was the two towers that were set up and resembled a paintball capture-the-flag arena. “Dude… I need Tim here. He’d flip at the chance for an ACTUAL game of Magiterror.” “But until then, we are gonna be here, making sure you two don’t accidentally kill yourselves.” Cody turned to see Castor and Pollux both in armor. Castor’s set was elaborate. He wore a robe with enchanted lines all over it. His armor a bronze chestplate, worn over the robe with a standard Gemini horoscope symbol glowing red, gauntlets, and a pair of bronze colored plate boots. Pollux, however, was far more armored. He wore full silver plate armor with blue trim that had been made to resemble something of ice in certain spots. It also had the symbol of Gemini on the chest that radiated blue. Castor reached into the ground and pulled out a staff that burned deep crimson, and Pollux unsheathed a sword that looked entirely made of crystallized ice. “So, are you two capable of training?” Pollux asked. Cody looked at Braiden, then back at his Guardians, “I am losing the feeling of choice, so I guess that’s a yes by default?”

Tim, Merlin, and Gilgamesh were sipping on their tea. Setting down his cup, Tim asked, “So about my question, Gilgamesh. I take it Braiden is the reincarnation of Enkidu. How exactly is that possible when Enkidu wasn’t supposed to be reincarnated?” he projected a new ashtray, that was free of butts, which caused the butts he had to fall onto the table. 

Gilgamesh clasped his hands and set them on the table. “Technically speaking he wasn’t reincarnated. His soul along with Braiden’s soul are currently residing in the same body.” A brief flash of regret crossed Gilgamesh’s face. “I made a deal to have Enkidu reincarnate, but it didn’t go as I had thought.”

Tim looked at Gilgamesh. “Can he survive in that state? I feel like it can't be healthy.”

“I’m honestly not sure what it will do to both of them. But for now there isn’t much we can do otherwise, except let events play out.” Gilgamesh looked grim.  
Tim looked at Gilgamesh’s expression and thought for a moment. Finally he asked, “What exactly did you give up for this deal? And to whom?”

Gilgamesh cleared his throat. “Technically speaking, I gave up Ea. However it is actually impossible for me to do as it returns to me when needed from anywhere and anytime.” He then glanced around. “As to whom, well...Hades.”

Tim’s eyes went wide for a moment. “Ummm….” was all he could say to that. After a few moments, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, breathing in deeply. “Aren’t you worried about what he may do if he figures out you cheated him?”

Gilgamesh hmphed and crossed his arms. “I doubt he’ll even have the guts to come here and face me.” 

Castor spun his staff and slammed it on the ground, causing a large circle of fire to draw in the ground. Pollux stepped through the fire and tapped his sword on the ground. “We shall start with basics; Realizing how NOT to rely on others. You both, in one way or another, rely on someone else to make up for your own shortcomings. This will get you killed in real combat.” Cody looked at Braiden in confusion, “How? I kinda don’t rely on anyone.” He asked, returning his glance to Pollux, who rushed him, kicking him through the fire and into a room made of solid ice.”

Castor looked at Braiden, “So, what can you do?” Looking up and down Braiden, sizing him up.

“Ummm, I know I’m kind of physically strong.” Braiden was at a slight loss as to what he could actually do. ‘Your soul suggests a divine connection. Try this.’ Braiden got a mental flash of a move and figured he could give it a go. He focused on Castor and raised his left hand pointing at him with two fingers. “Babd khafif!” A pulse of divine light was emitted from Braiden’s fingers and went right into Castor’s face.

Castor didn’t even flinch, “Okay, so… let me ask you how you knew how to do that. Cause you don’t sound like the type of guy who would know that.”

Pollux was swinging his sword at Cody, who was trying to dodge. “How long are you going to wait until someone rescues you? You have to save yourself.” Cody was finding it hard to run on ice, and throwing lightning wasn’t working. “Stop!” He yelled as he defended a swing from Pollux’s sword with a sigil that he somehow managed to create. “Yelling stop isn’t going to stop a real enemy.”

Braiden shifted uncomfortably. ‘Let me out for a moment.’ Braiden’s aura shifted again. “Hello Castor, been a long time hasn’t it?” Enkidu grinned.

“So that’s it… I KNEW I knew you from somewhere.” He said, thinking back to when Braiden first woke up. “Well this complicates things a lot more than I’d like to admit. POLLUX!”

Cody’s sigil was breaking, but holding a lot longer than he could have ever hoped for. Suddenly, he stopped swinging his sword. “Seems you have more than one person that you rely on. How… pathetic.” Pollux said as he vanished. The room of ice seemed to disappear and left Cody sitting almost a mile away from where he started. “Great, not only does he scare me to death, but I am cold, wet, and alone.”

Castor waited and tapped his foot, only to have Pollux appear a moment later, “You’re late, but that’s not the reason I called you.” He grabbed at his brother’s head and turned it to Enkidu, “That is.”

Enkidu was still grinning as he waved to Pollux. “Hi!” 

“Oooooh no…” Pollux said as his face became worried. “How much time do we have until-” There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere. “If we’re lucky, it’s been so long that he won’t notice.”

Cody managed to finally make it next to Braiden, pouring sweat. “I’m… here… What did… I miss?...” The twins looked at him and vanished.

“Well that was rude.” Enkidu turned to Cody. “Oh, you’re Cody. Hi!” Enkidu hugged Cody and giggled. “I’m Enkidu.”

Cody didn’t know what to do, “Uhm… hi?” He wasn’t sure if it was a practical joke or if Pollux hit him in the head too hard, but it clicked a second later. ‘He did say he had another voice, was Enkidu really chilling out inside him?’ He wondered.

Suddenly, Pollux appeared next to Gilgamesh, “Sir, we would like to talk.” Castor appeared a moment later. “It’s about a potential major problem you may or may not be aware of.”

Gilgamesh looked up. “Yes?”

Tim stood up and said, “I’ll take my leave then.” In a moment, he flashed away. He wandered the grounds of the gardens, hunting somewhere for him to take a small catnap. Finding a room with a bunch of beds, he shrugged, entered, took off his jacket and shirt, and laid down, falling asleep rather quickly.

“Sir,” Pollux began, “You’re aware of Enkidu’s presence, yes?”

Gilgamesh bowed his head slightly. “Yes, I just recently learned of it myself. What of it? Is he causing problems?” There was definite worry beneath Gilgamesh’s attempt at a calm expression.

Castor looked up, down, then off to the right. “Well, as of the moment, no. But what happens if Hades finds out?” Pollux looked to the side, “If… if is good.”

“Hades is already aware. He agreed to let Enkidu come back on the condition I give him Ea. Technically speaking, I did, he just isn’t informed that it will come at my call.” Gilgamesh explained while still trying to mask his worry.

“So long as Ea isn’t summoned, we should be fine then, yeah?” Pollux said as his worry began to subside. Castor turned to him, “Okay, but can we talk for a moment about how YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL CODY?” Pollux tilted his head to the side and looked at his brother, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You may think he is whatever you want, but I can’t believe it. He’s a weak human who-” Castor smacked Pollux across the face, “I don’t want to hear it. You know that we will have to tell him sooner or later, and if you refuse, I will. And I know how much that’s going to kill you.” Watching Castor walk away, Pollux muttered to himself, “... Telling him is my thing…” Castor, Pollux, and Gilgamesh all turned towards the north at the same time. Something was on it’s way and they could feel it.

Cody was standing still. He was still in shock of everything happening, nevertheless still cold and wet. Both his guardians vanished with no warning, and he had a personality-swapped Braiden giving him a firm but childish hug.

Enkidu suddenly pulled away and looked towards the north. “Oh my. Well it was nice meeting you Cody.” Braiden’s aura shifted again as Braiden took over. “Sorry about that, he really is nice though. I wonder what’s up with the sudden leaving.” His question was answered a few moments later.

A sudden shrill alarm rang through the gardens. A moment later, everyone found themselves on what only could be described as the bridge of the fortress. “We have incoming flying demons.” Gilgamesh pointed towards what initially looked like a large black cloud but, upon further inspection, was a massive army. Huge, bird-like demons with 6 sets of claws and wings that were rotting away made their way towards the fortress. “They’re about to find out just how powerful the defenses I have are.” Gilgamesh tapped his hand on his throne and a whirring noise could be heard as massive shields deployed from under the garden with numerous cannons the size of naval battleships deployed from hidden compartments. 

Tim awoke as he teleported to the bridge. Rubbing his eyes, he then lit a cigarette while watching as the whole fortress entered a battle mode. Breathing out a cloud of smoke, he watched as the cannons fired at the demons, and as one of the projectiles hit, a bright light erupted, cutting down most of the demons in a single hit. Tilting his head for a moment, he flash stepped closer to the window. “Ummm…. Those things are big ugly bats.” he said, a slight amount of grogginess in his voice.

“So you can teleport now?” Cody asked as his attention was now on Tim.

Tim grinned, and thought. “I first found out on the island. And it’s not teleporting, I… Flash step? Anyways, it’s not a teleport, it’s just very high speed movement.” he said, remembering an anime he had watched recently. “I guess it would classify as a flash step.” he said, smiling widely.

Cody looked ahead outside the window and gave an unenthused, “Great”, as he watched the demons getting literally torn apart by the cannons.

As the last of the demons were disintegrated, Tim walked up to the throne. “So that’s the power of the Hanging Gardens.” he said, looking to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh shrugged. “That’s not even it’s full potential, but that is for another time.” He sat back on his throne and looked bored.

Braiden was simply in awe of what he had witnessed.

Tim thought for a moment, before starting back for the training room, he started dragging Cody by the collar. “Come on, now we shall have a real battle.”

Cody choked for a moment, “*GACK* Dude, dude, let go. That’s not even remotely cool!” Cody managed to loosen Tim’s grip just enough to break free, but he followed anyways. “Guys, you coming or not?” He turned to Braiden and mouthed the words ‘help me’. Castor and Pollux both looked at each other and shrugged, vanishing to the training grounds.

Merlin opened a portal, allowing Tim and Cody to travel instantly to the training room. Merlin followed, the portal closed, and the throne room was silent. Merlin tapped his staff on the ground as they exited the portal. “Ok, this field is much bigger. Select your weapons.” he said. Tim projected a pair of golden tonfa, similar to Excalibur in design. Tim then shook his head, and dissolved the tonfa.

“Alright. Weapon… weapon…” Cody placed his hand on his chin and began thinking. Remembering the fights he had up until here had made it difficult to find what he wanted, but settled on something after a moment. He cocked his eyebrows and crimped his lips, placing his hands outwards. A long staff seemed to form from lightning, and solidify into a shiny metal. “Okay, let’s give it a go.”

Tim looked at Cody, and grinned widely. “Ok.” he said, assuming a defensive stance. He unintentionally expelled a burst of mana, causing the ground to crack and cave under his feet, forming a small crater. “Woah. That’s new.” he said, looking concerned.

“I mean… that works?” Cody said as he tried to focus what he knew into the staff. A orb of electricity formed on the tip and he smiled. Looking between Tim and the staff, his smile got larger. He pulled the staff behind him and swung over his head, launching the sphere at Tim. 

Experimentally, Tim released a burst of mana to his right, sending him moving at high speeds, avoiding the orb of lightning. “Dude…” he said, a wide smile on his face. He then rushed Cody, going just slower than his flash step. He watched Cody’s weapon, though Cody appeared to move in slow motion compared to Tim. He then aimed a blow at Cody’s hand, his fist moving at high speeds.

Cody watched as Tim’s speed was blinding, he smiled, then tried to swing at Tim’s chest, but ultimately failed as his right hand got hit, breaking it. “G-Ffff-Damn it!!” He screamed as he dropped his staff and it vanished.

Tim spun around Cody, stopping just behind him, and kicked Cody on his left arm, sending him flying several feet to his right. Following through on his kick he spun a full 360, then tilted his head. “Are you fighting like you, finally?” he asked, a small smile on his face.

Cody rolled once before recovering. If there was one thing he learned in track and hurdle, it was recovery. “When wasn’t I fighting like me?” Cody asked. Holding his injured hand, he ran towards the ‘paintball towers’ he spotted before. “Let’s see how well you do in a change of scenery!” Cody was only good at close range when he had a slower target, like a rock. He had learned that he was good at ranged combat, but he couldn’t fight Tim at a distance if he couldn’t make room between them.

Tim stood and stuck his hands in his pockets and drew off his cigarette, “Well, what are you going to do?” he muttered to himself watching Cody run for the towers. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he shivered. “Should have grabbed my shirt before we started.” he muttered to himself.

Cody ran up the first ramp, turned around and saw Tim, chilling with his hands in his pockets. He had an idea for a trap, but it involved fire. ‘I need some way to form fire. But I can only use lightning… damn!’ His thoughts were running in circles, when a bright red sigil drew around his left hand and caught fire, “Oh, oh that’s a thing!” His voice filled with excitement. ‘Let’s hope this doesn’t sound cheesy…’ He thought before shouting, “INFERNO!” He swung his hand and a large fireball shot straight towards Tim.

Tim stood, hands still in his pockets. He remembered going to the track meets and watching from the bleachers with Sam, who for being soft spoken could cheer with the rest of them. Sam used to cause him to wince at the volume of her yells during the meets as Cody managed to cross the finish line. Drawing off his cigarette again, he came back to the present and watched as his friend was rushing towards the towers. He tilted his head again at the fireball heading straight for him. “Oh, Cody… that’s a thing… right.” he said, a grin on his face. Tim turned to his left and flashed away, just missing the fireball. He stopped a few feet away from where the fireball exploded, and continued watching Cody for his next move. He was grateful for his fantastic eyesight, as he could see Cody as vividly as if he was standing next to him.

Cody watched as the fireball closed in on Tim, then exploded halfway, leaving flaming napalm everywhere, catching a lot of the area on fire. “Let’s hope this works.” He brought his left hand up and formed a finger gun shape. He aimed at Tim and smiled. “Kaboom…” The ground beneath Tim lit up with a deep, yet bright, purple sigil, then exploded. “Now we are getting somewhere!”

Tim crossed his arms across his chest in an X, projecting a large shield, deflecting the blast around the shield. He was thrown upwards, after a few seconds, he dissipated the shield, and spun, landing in a backflip. “That’s definitely you.” he said, grinning from ear to ear. He then flashed towards the tower, waiting for the sign he was going to fire. Tim’s instincts urged him to strike first but he ignored it, wanting to watch his friend come closer to what he could be. Tim wasn’t sure what that was, but it was exciting to watch.

“Or not.” Cody aimed at Tim again and held his left hand out, palm facing Tim. A sigil the same color of purple as the other formed and started spinning, and hundreds of small explosive orbs shot towards Tim. It was the ‘Magic Missile Gatling Gun’ attack he made. 

Tim watched as Cody’s sigil formed, launching magic orbs at him. “Now this is more like it.” he grinned, and tried pushing himself further. He flash stepped, dodging the orbs. He appeared briefly on one, using it as a stepping stone. As soon as he left it in another step, the orb exploded. He leapt onto the side of the tower, and started running the rest of the way up.

Cody was actually frustrated. He was using something other than lightning, but it was just as useless. Not only was he unable to land a hit, but Tim was making a mockery of his move by jumping off it. Angry, he held his right hand towards Tim, then stopped, cringing and grabbing his hand. “Shit, broken…” Even broken, his hand didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it should have, but Castor and Pollux even told him about that back on the island. Not thinking, he glared at Tim and his eyes glazed over, seeing a favorable outcome. Out of nowhere, a bolt of deep purple lightning shot towards Tim from the left.

Tim was running up the side and watched Cody. Tim looked to his left to see a bolt of lightning fly just over his head. “What the hell?” he asked himself. Shaking his head, he made it to the top and swung a roundhouse kick at the side of Cody’s head.

With his right hand, Cody tried to block Tim’s attack as dark purple sigil formed in front of him and exploded, sending Tim flying straight up, and Cody into the wall. Hitting the concrete wall, he screamed in between his coughing, “Ow… hand… back...” Thinking for a moment, he wondered when the vision he saw was going to play out. He then looked as Tim was falling but regaining his control, so he aimed his hand towards him, and a smaller sigil manifested at his fingertip, firing a small, but very fast purple orb.

Tim was falling, flipped mid air, barely noticing the orb. He crossed his arms, projecting his shield again, reflecting the orb. As it hit the tower, he dissipated the shield landing on the ground.

Cody quickly placed his left hand on the floor, causing multiple sigils to form on the ground near Tim. “Aaaaaaand Minefield.” Cody used this tactic in Magiterror a lot cause Tim would always move where he expected to be safe and end up getting hit. As Tim saw the sigils form, they all suddenly started moving around rapidly.

Tim watched as the sigils spun, “What are you doing?” he asked. Before he could react, they detonated, blasting the whole area under him with magical energy, and sending him flying back several feet where he lay unconscious.

Cody looked over the edge and saw Tim lying there. “Did I win?” Cody ran down the tower and out the opening. Tim was unconscious, but didn’t look badly hurt. “Merlin, is he okay?” Cody yelled, as he got on one knee and looked at his friend. He started to wonder if he went too far.

Merlin nodded, walking over. “Remember when I said the larger the injury, the longer the recovery time?” He asked looking to Cody.

Cody looked at Tim, then Merlin. He felt concerned, but knew that Tim’s wounds would heal. Yes, it was a fight, but he thought he could have been more in control. He sat down, leaning on a rock near Tim, and waited for his friend to wake.

Braiden and Gilgamesh appeared in the room near Merlin at the sound of a snap. Braiden was looking away from Gilgamesh with a disgruntled expression until he saw Cody. “Hey, Cody, how are things going?” He then noticed Tim on the ground unconscious. “Oh, well, by the looks.”

“Well… I kind of exploded Tim. So, I’m waiting for him to come to. I kinda feel bad, but he also broke my hand, so that kind of hurts.” Cody said, almost counting the seconds.

Braiden nodded. “Perhaps when he wakes up him and I can go against you? Would you be game for that?” ‘Oh, this will be interesting. Give him hell. Literally.’ Braiden smiled a bit at Enkidu.

“I’m down, just a little tired.” Cody said, yawning and feeling drained.

Braiden was getting slightly excited for the first time in a while until Gilgamesh cleared his throat and he mentally groaned. ‘He’s only trying to help.’ Braiden turned and looked at Gilgamesh. “Yes?” Gilgamesh shifted slightly looking almost apologetic. “You might want some gear.” He opened up a gate and motioned to it. “Jump through and you’ll see.” Braiden quirked an eyebrow and was about to say no when Enkidu piped up. ‘Trust that at least. I know and I understand but he is still your Guardian.’ Braiden sighed and jumped through emerging on the other side fully armored and wielding a warhammer. “Okay, I think I’m ready.” His voice sounded muffled in the helmet.

Tim groaned, and sat up. “I’m game to go all out again,” he winced as he stood up, “I just need a moment. That match hurt.” he said, moving to a nearby tree and sitting, propping himself against it. “Hey Merlin, where is my jacket?” he asked, and Merlin opened a portal dropping Tim’s jacket on his head. He pulled his jacket off and reached in its pocket, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes, lighting one, and putting them back. Inhaling, he felt another item in the pocket where his pack was. Pulling it out, he looked at it, seeing that it was a school photo from Sam’s senior year of high school. At that point her raven black hair was longer, and had streaks of blonde throughout. He smiled, and closed his eyes, resting his head on the tree behind him.

Cody looked at Tim amused, “So are you gonna stand shirtless forever, or are you gonna put it on and get ready?”

Braiden chuckled as he looked over at Tim. “You know, maybe it’s better this way.” Gilgamesh flashed a glare at Tim for a moment that, while Braiden didn’t notice, Enkidu did. 

Finishing his cigarette, Tim placed the picture back in his jacket pocket and stood up, wincing at first. Tim looked at Braiden confused for a moment and shook his head, saying “Oy vey.” He then stretched and his joints popped. Placing his jacket on the ground next to the tree, he projected his weapons, and groaned with fatigue before launching himself full speed at Cody.

Cody wasn’t expecting a fast return from Tim, so he brought his hands together and caused an explosion of force, pushing everyone away from him, except Gilgamesh who was unphased. Cody then swung open his arms and a huge purple sigil appeared on the ground between him and Tim. A large suit of headless armor emerged from the ground. Wielding a sword about 8 feet long, the 15 foot metal man rushed Tim. 

As he saw the suit of armor appear, Tim flashed away from the sword, throwing weapons at it as he slid to a stop, hoping to penetrate it. Failing, he shouted “Set!” and several sigils appeared with several weapons each protruding from them. Swinging his arm, the sigils fired, piercing the armor in its joints causing it to seize up momentarily, before it broke the weapons and charged again.

Braiden rushed Cody and the pace he had while wearing full plate armor was something scary. The speed at which he could swing his massive hammer was even scarier. He swung it full force right at Cody’s stomach hoping to make impact before he was even seen moving.

Cody had not paid attention to Tim after spawning the armor, he needed a diversion. His more unknown opponent was what he was concerned about. Turning to his left, he saw Braiden moving at an inhuman speed and readying his hammer. ‘Well, I’m not dodging this,’ He jumped up and curled his body like he was cannonballing into a pool just as Braiden’s hammer made impact. The hammer’s collision was deflected by a purple sigil, but the force behind it wasn’t. Cody was sent flying down the field, but was surrounded by an orb, which was covered in arcane script and shined a brilliant purple. Coming to a stop, he looked back at Braiden who was continuing his assault and aimed his left arm, spawning 5 small sigils which were spinning around a larger sigil. The large sigil fired a laser and the smaller sigils shot smaller lasers that homed in on Braiden's location.

Tim watched as Cody fired lasers, after which he flash stepped from kiting the suit to near Braiden. He projected a shield in front of both of them, redirecting the lasers. He projected bindings for the suit of armor that he had left wondering where he went. 

Braiden was watching the lasers hit the shield while wondering what to do. ‘Try this.’ Braiden got another mental flash and smiled as he shifted his weight, smashing his hammer into the ground as hard as he could. “Alaintiqam al'iilhiu!” A wave of flaming energy erupted smacking into Cody at blinding speed, dealing the damage that his lasers would have dealt.

Cody burst into holy flames and fell to his knees. It hurt, but almost like his spirit took pain instead of his physical being. He looked up as Tim’s shield faded, Braiden was on his knee with his hammer sitting on the ground. This was 2 versus 1 and he needed leverage. He mustered a lot of energy and focused as a massive sigil burned itself into the ground. It began to glow a bright royal purple. “Lunar Knight!” The suit of armor Tim had bound vanished and a larger suit of armor rose from the sigil. Standing next to Cody, it started to glow the same purple as the sigil. Cody focused more energy and multiple smaller sigils appeared on walls, the ground, as well as behind Braiden and Tim. These smaller sigils had turrets move out of them which Tim recognized. They were the ColdFire turrets Cody had found the last day they were at class. The looks of them were very distinct and specific. Looking at the newformed turrets, his vision blurred and he became dizzy.

Tim watched as Cody activated his ColdFire turrets. He focused for a few moments as he started projecting a protective dome around himself and Braiden. “This should hold for a bit.” he said as the shield took fire. As soon as the shield formed, his body was wracked with pain from his high speed movements. ‘This is not going to be good…’ he thought before spitting up a little more blood.

The shield started freezing over but still was on fire. The suit of armor took his sword and swung down at his foes, sending a shockwave of lunar energy tearing through the ground towards the dome.

Braiden looked around the shield as it was being attacked. “Are you sure this will hold?” Braiden felt that the shield might need some help with the onslaught but again was at a loss. ‘I do hope you’re paying attention.’ Braiden got another mental flash and grinned as he put his palm on the ground. “Dire aljaridian!” A light erupted from his palm forming a holy symbol which then fused with Tim’s barrier strengthening it. Braiden, however, was panting and sweating, using this much divine power was taxing.

Tim watched as his shield glowed bright gold, being filled with Holy magic. “Woah…” he said, sitting down and coughing even more blood. “So, let’s talk tactics.” he said, turning to Braiden. He coughed again and spat up even more blood. ‘This is taking a large toll. I shouldn’t have accepted this trial.’ he thought. A look of concern came across his face. “You ok?” he asked.

Braiden looked at Tim with raised eyebrows. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He then realised he couldn’t be seen but the point was still there. Enkidu facepalmed. ‘I would call him an idiot, but I feel that doesn’t do it justice.’

Tim shrugged and said, “Fair enough… So, do we have a big chance of beating him before I pass out?” he asked, motioning at the barrier.

Cody saw the dome completely freeze over and the shockwave didn’t do anything to it. It was about time to relocate. He was tired, Braiden's attack really took a lot of energy and he didn’t know if he had enough energy left. He made his way towards the south tower and ran into a wall. “Damn, this is exhausting.” Thinking of a way to restore his energy, he wasn’t able to come up with anything quick.

“I imagine that using all of this has been rather draining for him. He’s probably getting spent at the moment, which could give us an advantage to take him on and defeat him.” Braiden explained as the attacks on the shield started to wane.

Tim focused a moment, trying to reinforce the barrier a bit more, “If you can draw his and that colossus's attention, I can get close enough to finish this thing.” he stood back up and projected his tonfa. Tim forced his barrier to explode outward, forcing the ice that gathered on the outside to shatter, hitting the colossus. “Now!” he said, looking to Braiden.

Braiden nodded and leapt up following the exploding barrier. Swinging his hammer while in the air, he smashed the colossus throwing it off to the side. He landed on the ground and rushed towards Cody his body emitting a slight golden glow.

Tim flash stepped after Braiden smashed the colossus. He kept moving, faster than the turrets could track and tried to hide himself. He threw his tonfa, causing them to hit rocks around Cody before disappearing. “Shit.” he muttered, as his vision flickered for a moment. He slid to a stop and jumped up, landing in one of the few trees in the training zone. He gripped the bark, projecting a clawed glove so he could better grasp. ‘This is going to be close.’ he thought.

Cody heard sounds from multiple directions. He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn’t going to turn around and see. After hiding behind one of the thicker walls of the tower, he focused and tried to replicate his whole vision thing. His eyes glazed over and he saw everything play out. He saw the whole field. He was drained even further, but saw his Lunar Knight and Braiden fighting, but Braiden would win. Tim would jump into a tree and wait. The turrets would still fire at them, but everything got fuzzy or ended there. He had to get a hold of his power usage, he was fading badly. As Braiden slammed the Lunar Knight, the ColdFire turrets were still firing at him, while firing at the trees to find Tim.

Tim watched the turrets firing at Braiden, as he saw some turn to the tree he was in he whispered, ‘Set’ several sigils appearing at the turrets, firing weapons at the turrets, breaking them.

Braiden’s rush was slowed down by having to dodge and block the blasts from the turrets, though Tim was slowly destroying them as he advanced. Braiden was getting closer to Cody and readied his hammer when he got hit in the side by the colossus. He spun, landing on his feet several feet away as the colossus charged at him. Braiden rushed it and leapt into the air, swinging his hammer down, shoving the colossus into the ground with his strength. It wasn’t easy but it seemed to work until it burst back out. The knight punched Braiden with enough force to send him several yards away. Braiden landed on his back but rolled to his feet again fairly quickly while noticing the armor charging him again. He was irritated at the persistence of the armor. Out of his frustration, he screamed at it which resulted in its form bending and twisting until it shattered. “Oops.” Enkidu sighed. ‘Well, could have been worse.’

Cody knew that his knight vanished when he heard odd scream-singing. Like a metal band singing old latin hymns. It didn't make sense to his ears, but the shattering sound was one he could guess. He placed his hands on the floor to try and put up more turrets, but his vision fluctuated violently. Things went black, then came back, then black again, then back. He tried to stay there, but slumped over, passing out.

Castor and Pollux were sitting outside on the edge of the fortress. As Gilgamesh’s vassals, they were known for their superior recon abilities. They both felt a cold chill as Cody pass out. Castor’s head drooped down and Pollux’s head fell backwards and left him staring into the mid-day sky as he sighed. “Well… that was surprising.” “True, but what can you expect.” “Better?” “He’s only human.” “Is he?” “Oh, so NOW you believe me…” “Regardless, he’s still weak.” “Does Tim know?” “Does Cody know?” “...” “I thought not.”

Tim noticed that the action all around dissipated. He figured out that something happened. He leapt from the tree, and searched, confused. Several minutes passed, and he finally found Cody, passed out. Shouting across the field, “Braiden!” he motioned to the armor clad figure in the distance. 

Braiden rushed to Cody’s side and felt for a pulse. “He seems alive.” Enkidu reached out, feeling Cody’s aura. ‘He’s just tired, used a lot of his energy.’ Braiden nodded to himself. “He needs rest to build his reserves back up.” He looked around but didn’t anything to put Cody on. He picked him up and started carrying him. He passed by Gilgamesh and stopped for a moment. “I assume this thing has a hospital or something?” His tone was indifferent. Gilgamesh nodded and snapped his fingers sending Cody away. “He’ll be taken care of.” Braiden nodded while walking away, Gilgamesh watched him and looked almost hurt. “I’m really not so bad.” Braiden, however, paid no attention and walked over to Tim. “Hey, you okay?”

Tim stood up, stretching, “I think so… How about you?” A moment after asking, his vision flickered rapidly, before darkening. Stumbling, Tim instinctively reached for support, but finding none he quickly ended up on the ground.

Braiden blinked a few times and sighed as he picked Tim up and helped him to his feet. “Looks like you need rest, too.” Enkidu was channeling some of his energy into Braiden to keep him going as he, too, was exhausted. ‘I can’t push your body like this much longer, you need rest as well.’

Merlin touched the ground with his staff, and the healing bubble surrounded Tim and Braiden individually. “I will take Tim to the room and let him rest. We should all get some rest before 

Braiden looked at Merlin and nodded. “Probably not a bad idea.” He left Tim and started walking away, he made it as far as the exit hallway before he himself collapsed. His vision was fading as he finally felt the full extent of pushing himself. He was sitting there up against the wall of the hallway on the verge of passing out when arms wrapped around him picking him up. He managed to look and see Gilgamesh. “Put me dun, I don ned your halp.” He quite feebly tried to struggle but it didn’t do much. Gilgamesh looked at him with a small soft smile. “It won’t do to have you laying in a hall…” Braiden was passing out but he could’ve swore he heard something along the lines of. “You mean more to me than that.” 

Merlin stepped out of a portal, and laid Tim back on the bed that was clearly slept on. “Rest now.” he said, entering another portal.

Cody was lying in a very high tech infirmary where there was a few machines that looked to helped restore mana. He looked lifeless, but safe. Pollux had appeared in a dark blue flash and sat down at the chair to the right of the bed. “You shouldn't drain yourself so much… it's not smart.” Pollux said as he remained alone for a bit longer before Castor walked in, “Watching him sleep? That's not creepy at all.” Castor tried joking to cheer up Pollux, but he didn't smile. Pulling up a chair and sitting it backwards facing his twin as he plopped down on it, Castor looked him in the eyes, “Okay, stop it okay. He's alive and will recover. You know I did, so what's the differe-” Pollux looked up at Castor with an annoyed face, “The difference is that I can’t bargain for his life if he dies like I did you…” Pollux’s head dropped down again as he sat in frustration. There was a moment of silence before Castor stood up and looked at Cody, “He's going to find out about his lineage sooner or later. It'd be best for him to know soon, ya think? Hiding it has only caused problems. He's already struggling to find himself as is. Why hide it any longer?” Pollux didn't reply. Maybe it was out of frustration or stubbornness, but he stayed silent. Castor walked out of the room after patting his brother on the shoulder. Pollux remained by Cody's side for the remainder of the evening until Castor came back to share stories and even some tactics he used against the dino-demons so he could do more recon.

Tim slept for the next several hours as his body began to glow. His dreams drifted to hopes for the future, one without a demon army threatening the happiness. Soon after, he drifted to the past, remembering back to when he first met Sam. She was working in a local bookstore, which occasionally held poetry contests and some live music. Sam was one of the performers, playing her guitar. Her raven hair almost gleamed in the bright lights placed on the makeshift stage, her green eyes almost glowing. Tim watched her play and listened as she sang with her soft voice. Smiling to himself Tim stopped her before she left. “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you but your playing was awesome, it made me feel as if I was in another realm.” Sam looked him over studying him and asked. “Does that line really work?” Keeping to his composure Tim answered. “Honestly no offense it really was beautiful.” Still trying to get the measure of him she stuck her hand out. “I’m Sam.” Tim smiled and took it. “Tim.”

Braiden was sleeping on the same plush bed as the night before and having rather interesting dreams. So interesting, in fact, that Enkidu had blocked out the images from himself. ‘Humans, deny what they want consciously but take it all unconsciously.’ Gilgamesh was watching Braiden sleep while cursing himself mentally. How had this one person caused such an emotional rise in him? What was it about this man that pulled at him like strings? Thinking he needed some fresh air, Gilgamesh teleported to an outside balcony and looked out over the ocean. He stood there watching for a while and, as the sun started to set, looked around. Seeing Pollux in the distance, he teleported next to him noticing he looked upset. “If you want to stand there and brood, I could give you an actual reason to do so.”

Pollux stared at the setting sun. “Acting doesn’t look good on a king.” He sat along the edge of the flying gardens and shrugged. “It’s Cody. I’m worried he isn’t what I think he is, that I can’t make him what I need him to be.”

Gilgamesh attempted to glare, but his face gave way to the emotions beneath, revealing his inner conflict. “So, not quite what you expected?” Gilgamesh himself could understand that sentiment.

“He literally has the same capabilities as me and Castor, yet throws them aside for useless combat and frivolous fancy. There’s no tact, no thought behind it. He’ll be killed for sure… I can’t lose another…” Pollux real emotions started to surface.

Gilgamesh put a hand on Pollux’s shoulder. “I know how you feel. Enkidu was the only person whoever truly understood me, who gave me a reason to truly live. When I lost him, I lost myself, vowing to never allow that to happen again. The pain and anger I felt towards everyone around me, towards myself, the guilt of not being able to stop it. I lost my will to truly live and threw myself into things that I hoped would take the pain away. Didn’t work of course, and I only ended up being hated when I finally died. However…” He glanced towards the room Braiden was sleeping in and, for a brief moment, his face calmed and he even looked content. “Somehow, Braiden has entered my feelings and thoughts in ways I thought wouldn’t happen, to an even higher degree than Enkidu has. I still don’t understand the how or why.”

Pollux looked at Gilgamesh and shrugged. A lot of what was said he could relate to. For him, though, losing Castor wasn’t an option. And knowing what he did about Cody made it all the more difficult. “But that is where our lines differ. You have invested feelings into your Anchor and friend. I just want to build a warrior, but instead I have to deal with a confused pig.”

Gilgamesh looked back out to the ocean. “We both have our issues with those we care for.” He then looked at Pollux and his expression hardened. “I assume you’ll know not to share what’s been said here?” His tone threatening and his aura murderous. 

“Sharing isn’t really my thing.” Pollux muttered as he glared out to the almost set sun. “Another evening… another failed day.”

Night had fallen and the air was thin. Cody was still in the med bay resting as Castor was talking, getting into his stories as he always did, “-And let me tell you, once you let go of that arrow, watching it fly into the wall and exploding is the coolest feeling in the w-” he stopped suddenly as cannon fire could be heard and the area became suddenly very thick with a sense of danger. It felt menacing, like the feeling of betrayal before it happens. Castor slowly stood up and backed closer to Cody. “Wait… I know you.” Muttering to himself, he turned to Cody to make sure he was okay, only to see a cloaked man rush from the side delivering a stab wound to Castor’s chest and a swift spin kick him in the head, knocking him to the ground and unconscious. Pollux rushed into the room and only saw the aftermath. The cloaked figure turned and waved before getting ready to stab Cody. “NOO!!” Pollux shouted, unleashing a volley of razor sharp ice spikes at the man. The spikes passed through the figure, which turned to smoke upon impact.

Merlin had just returned through a portal and noticed the air’s sudden change and felt the presence of multiple intruders. He noted a very powerful presence near the barrier. He tapped his staff on the ground, opening a portal. He stepped through, sending a telepathic message to Gilgamesh informing him of who the intruder was: Corvus Glaive. 

Gilgamesh was on the bridge unleashing the cannon fire and deploying the magic walls. “I know, and I’m right here.” He summoned Braiden to his side and activated the internal defenses and then ported Castor, Pollux, Cody, and Tim to the bridge as well and locked it down. Everyone watched as Merlin stepped through the portal that appeared. “We don’t yet have the power to take him on fully, I am going to try and guide him to the training area, we will intercept him there and do what we can to delay him.” Gilgamesh said. The defenses had mostly dealt with the outside threat, the problem was inside.

Braiden woke up as he hit the floor of the bridge. “Huh? What?” He looked around and did his best to piece together what was happening. He finally registered what Gilgamesh had said and stood up. Looking around he didn’t see the armor or hammer he used earlier but figured he could get them again. “Gilgamesh, open a portal and let me arm myself.” Gilgamesh turned to Braiden. “No, you are still weak after your fight earlier, you would be putting yourself in unnecessary danger.” Braiden scowled as he sat down feeling useless. ‘Let me out, I can fight with my energy. Though your body will still take the hit.’ Braiden and Enkidu switched which caused a stronger aura to come off of Braiden’s body. “Gilgamesh, I will go into battle in Braiden’s stead, we have to stop Corvus here.” Gilgamesh looked surprised and shook his head. “I’ve already lost you once, I’m not goi…” Enkidu glared. “The whole world is at stake and I will not stand idly by while its destroyed!” Enkidu allowed more of his energy to be put through Braiden’s body which caused strain but it was holding. “Now. Let’s do this.” Enkidu grinned in a slightly wicked way.

Pollux stood in front of Enkidu, “Yeah, not happening. The last thing you need is to cause more complications. You stay and protect Cody. Once Castor comes to, we will take out this threat. Think before throwing away someone else’s life.” Pollux had never taken such a harsh stance before, but with the situation, it seemed valid.

“You have no right to dictate what Braiden and I choose to do. I make my own choices and so does Braiden. Who are you to stand in our way?” Enkidu was angry which only further increased his aura. Gilgamesh put his hands on Enkidu’s shoulders. “Pollux is right, you’re only endangering yourself and Braiden by doing this. And I don’t want to lose either one of you!” Gilgamesh was angry himself, not at Enkidu specifically but at the fact that both people who were dear to him wanted to rush blindly into battle with an opponent as dangerous as Corvus. Enkidu pulled away from Gilgamesh. “Unless you’re going to use force to stop us, we’re leaving.” Enkidu made his way to the door preparing to punch it open.

“So, are you going to storm off like a child, or stay like a man? Grow up and defend the ones you care about in a smart way!” Pollux was aware of not being thoughtful when it came to angry deliveries, but he was always right when it correlated to caring about the well-being of others. Castor rolled and struggled to sit up. Gripping at his side, he cringed and moaned.

Enkidu spun around and backhanded Pollux across the face. ‘Enough!’ Braiden was still tired and it took him a few moments to work through Enkidu’s will so he could be heard again. ‘This is still my body and I don’t appreciate your actions, we will wait here and possibly go all together.’ Enkidu froze on the spot before looking down in shame. ‘You’re right.’ “Sorry.”

Gilgamesh sighed in relief before looking at Castor in concern. Opening a gate and pulling out a small blue bottle he poured its contents on the festering wound. “Who did this? What happened?” 

Castor took a moment to compose himself as his wound began to heal rapidly. “It’s Vladimir. He was going to try and turn Cody.” Turning his gaze to Cody, he stood up and spoke in a very determined tone, “Lord Gilgamesh, allow me to wield The Staff of Helios. I’ll take care of Vlad once and for all.”

Merlin recognized the name, and started chanting, a barrier forming around Cody’s unconscious body. “You’re going to use THAT weapon?” he asked, waiting for it to appear.

Gilgamesh ported them all instantly to the training area. “Very well, but make its use count.” He opened a portal and a blinding light emerged. Gilgamesh grabbed the staff and threw it to Castor. “Helios, the sun staff of the gods. Do be careful to not let it overwhelm you.” He then armored himself up and opened several gates.

Castor grabbed the staff and it began to glow bright, blinding almost. It burned a bright white and then into a brilliant blue. “Vlad is mine.” Castors vest and clothes began to transform into his battle armor that he used against the fight with Cody. The staff morphed shape into a double-sided sword, 7 feet in length. He stood in anticipation. The ground started getting hot, some of the plants started to burn, and his hair began to move as fire would. Ice suddenly formed around Cody and his body vanished to the bridge again. “Don’t worry about him. If Vlad even gets close, I’ll personally castrate him in ways even HE would fear.” Pollux said, disappearing in a flash of ice.

Tim focused, before he glowed slightly, and an armor set appeared. As he felt the heat, he put a cigarette in his mouth, it lit as soon as it touched the superheated air. “Ooo. Thank you Castor!” he said, grinning a bit. 

A few explosions could be heard in the distance. A robed man and a shadowy figure came running into the training area as the internal weapons of the fortress halted. The two came to a stop about 100 feet from the group. Castor looked towards the shadowy man and ground his teeth. “Vlad…” “Oh, well you remember? I was expecting that knife to do the job. Pity, I’ll have to stab harder this time.” Vlad made a sudden sprint towards Castor. Slowly spinning the burning dual-sword, Castor quickly swung it and deflected Vlad’s attack. “You’re mine.” 

Merlin looked to Gilgamesh, “Gil, do you have the original to my staff?” he asked raising the weapon in his hand.

Gilgamesh merely glanced at Merlin before looking back to the opponents.

Tim watched Castor deflect the blow, and noticed the robed figure was going to strike Castor from behind. Flash stepping, Tim appeared behind Castor, deflecting the robed figures punch with his bracer. Tim projected a staff and struck at him with it.

The robed figure saw the staff coming up, and leapt back. “Well then. This should be fun.” he said, looking between Tim and Braiden. “Interesting.”

Castor lunged at Vlad, not noticing the robed man’s attempt, and swung both blades elegantly in an attempt to disarm or de-arm Vlad, whichever ended up happening. Each swing left a trail of fire, each parry causing a small explosion, each miss increasing the speed and anger that the flurry of swings moved.

Tim ducked under the flaming blades, noticing the heat coming off of it. He felt warmer than usual before he charged the robed figure, kneeing him in the face and sending him flying back several feet. 

Gilgamesh launched the weapons in his gates at the robed figure as Enkidu ran through a seperate gate, coming out the other side, armored and wielding a spear. He rushed at the cloaked figure, slashing and stabbing at a very high speed until he managed to cut the hood section off, revealing the face of Corvus Glaive who merely looked amused.

Vlad was dodging and parrying like it was easy and delivering cuts all over Castor with his knife, which caused festering wounds. “Hehehe, you won’t last long being that slow.” Castor was growing furious as it seemed nothing was working. The dual-sword quickly changed to a large staff mid-spin. He ended his spin aiming the staff at Vlad and shouting, “I’ll end you once and for all!” A massive light shot forward and hit Vlad, knocking him back with it, “Dark Star!” Castor yelled, which caused the orb to explode, then implode. Vlad was sucked into the nova created by the star and started to burn. The scream that was heard was piercing to the ears as he burst into flames. Corvus turned with a disappointed expression, “Must I do everything myself?”

Tim turned around as the sound pierced his ears, “What the hell?” he asked, drawing off the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He then spun his staff around and stood ready to take on Corvus again. “How the hell did you manage to penetrate the gardens?” he asked.

Merlin was muttering an incantation, hand hovering behind his staff. “Sidhe, hear my call! Destroy this evil!” he said, and ten fairies appeared flying at Corvus, blasting him with magic and slashing him with their swords.

Enkidu was attacking Corvus and noticing that despite hitting the guy, he wasn’t doing any true damage. ‘Am I so weak now?’

Gilgamesh was launching weapons almost non stop at Corvus who seemed to merely dance around them while being hit by Tim and Enkidu. He scowled and used his chains to yank Enkidu back to him. “Lend me your power!”

Enkidu raised his eyebrows but nodded and channeled his energy into Gilgamesh who summoned a key looking object. He then held up the key and it clicked several times revealing a huge red and gold mass of lines into the sky. A single brilliant light traveled down and revealed Ea. Gilgamesh pointed it at Corvus. “Tim! Move!” As soon as Tim flashed back, Ea spun up and bled a blinding red light. “ENUMA ELISH!!” A red beam flashed faster than the eye could hope to see and clashed with Corvus’s staff. Corvus still seemed merely bemused which turned to concern, then finally he was actually trying to hold back the blast as it looked for a moment he might fail, until the blast ceased and Gilgamesh collapsed spitting blood. Ea vanished and Gilgamesh passed out as Enkidu collapsed to a knee panting hard.

Pollux stood guard in the bridge, when suddenly he felt a strong presence appear nearby. “Oh no… He took back Ea… We need to hide, soon…”

Merlin’s summoned Sidhe vanished, and he dropped to a knee. “Well then I won’t be able to do this again this year.” he muttered another incantation, improving Tim’s gear, before he passed out himself.

Tim looked down as his gear glowed. Grinning, he launched himself at Corvus while projecting blades to his shins and forearms, putting everything he had behind the one kick. He nailed Corvus in the chest, inflicting a gash across the chest. “Castor! He’s yours now!” he said, before he leapt back. 

“Kinda busy!” Castor was focusing his energy to keep the nova that was tearing apart Vlad from destroying everyone else. “Distract him for a moment please!”

Vlad’s screams slowly started vanishing as his body started to disintegrate. Corvus turned, slightly intrigued as he looked at Castor, dismissing Tim.

Tim got ticked as Corvus turned away. Tim’s limbs glowed again and he hurled himself at Corvus, landing several blows to the head and body. He attempted to kick his head again, when a staff came up ready to hit Tim in the face. He brought his arm up to block the blow, but the staff managed to cut through the armor and severed Tim’s hand. He shouted in pain as he was kicked away from Corvus.

Corvus started walking towards Castor to finish the job that Vlad didn’t. ‘Might as well kill him now rather than later’ He cackled under his breath.

Enkidu managed to stand back up and run over to Tim. He picked up the severed hand on the way and reattached it with clay that he created magically. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it stopped the bleeding and would keep the hand alive. He then looked over at Corvus and raised his spear. He engaged in combat, but he was slow, weaker, and was quickly knocked across the room unconscious. 

Corvus was looking at Castor. “Your group is pathetic. I see my fears were not justified, such a pity. How do you intend to defeat me with such weaklings, Gemini twin?” He looked around the room bored. “Such a waste of potential.” He walked over to the unconscious Gilgamesh and spat on him. “King of Heroes. Hmph.” He then cloaked himself in shadows and disappeared.


	5. The Paths We Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a little figuring out they need to do.

Tim sat up, his hand attached with clay. He watched as blue thread came out of his skin and stitched his hand back on. The threads vanished, and he tested his mobility. Satisfied, he struggled to stand, pain coursed through his body as he came to his full height. Looking around, he found Castor slumped on the ground. Walking over he checked on the Guardian. “We were terribly outmatched.” He heard muttering and looked at Castor, moving his ear closer so he could hear.

“Make sure… Cody… is…” Castor barely was able to mutter his words before he, himself, passed out. His wounds were festering badly, and it wasn’t looking good. 

The remains of the nova were nothing more than a burn scar on the ground, and some ashes. Vlad was, indeed, no more. 

Tim looked around, his vision flickering. “Cody’s… not here?” he said, “Did they take him?” he asked, and started to walk around, trying to find Cody. After a few moments his legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground, cursing as he began to crawl.

Braiden opened his eyes and immediately wished Enkidu was still out. The aches and pains, his body screaming at him was so not worth it. “Ugggghhhh. I hurt all over.” He managed to sit up while wincing for every inch he moved. “How is everyone else?”

Tim forced himself over to the collapsed rubble, leaning against it. “I’m not sure.” he motioned to the guardians. “So, how can we get them to recover? We need to find Cody.” he asked, feeling a strange tug, like something was trying to pull him somewhere else, somewhere within.

Braiden looked around concerned. “Not su-” He was cut off as several medical golems came in and started tending to everyone. They poured a blue potion on Castor, a green one on Merlin, and a gold one on Gilgamesh. After a few moments all the wounds on Gilgamesh vanished and he came too.

“Damn Corvus… in my fortress, too.” Gilgamesh looked displeased but also very tired and weak. He stood up and looked around, surveying all of the damage. “This is not going to be an easy fix.”

Tim tried to stand. “Never mind that… Cody isn’t here!” he said through gritted teeth as pain radiated from his broken bones, but ultimately fell back down as his adrenaline died down.

One of the golems walked over to Tim and dumped a red potion on him and the sound of reconnecting bones and tendons were heard as his body repaired.

Braiden winced. “That sounded painful, not gonna lie.” He managed to stand up only to keel over, throw up, and grab his head as he hit his knees again. Enkidu switched with him in an instant. ‘Rest, I’ll take the full brunt of the pain. It’s only fair.’ 

Gilgamesh despite being weak and tired was at Braiden’s side faster than he should be able to move. “I’ll get a golem, we’ll get you fixed up.” He looked at the medics. “Get everyone to the Infirmary as fast as possible.”

The golems didn’t seem to acknowledge in any way other than just simply picking everyone up and carrying them to the Infirmary. After they settled everyone they retreated into a crevice in the wall.

Enkidu was laying on a bed looking at Gilgamesh. “You do care about him.” Gilgamesh looked at Enkidu. “Of course I care about him, he is my Anchor.” Enkidu gave a face. “He means more to you than that, even I can see it.” Gilgamesh crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. “He is my Anchor and he allows me to be here, so I care enough about him to keep him safe. That’s as far as it goes.” Enkidu glared. “So, the sex meant nothing? Braiden really doesn’t mean anything? You just did that because you were bored?” Gilgamesh stood up looking irritated. “I slept with him because it was convenient and it had been a long time.” Enkidu gritted his teeth, he didn't understand why Gilgamesh was lying like he was. “You can’t lie to me Gilgamesh.” Looking fierce and angry Gilgamesh practically yelled. “He means nothing to me, he is just my anchor!” For a brief moment Enkidu and Braiden switched revealing Braiden who looked hurt, so hurt that he was in tears and his face was contorted. Gilgamesh felt a pang of guilt at the realization that Braiden heard everything. Just as quickly they switched again bringing back Enkidu who looked away from Gilgamesh. “I have nothing further to say to you.” Gilgamesh walked out of the room and covered his face as tears started falling. He had messed up, messed up so bad he wasn’t sure he could fix what he just broke.

Tim groaned as he was set down on one of the beds, his muscles ached as though he had tried to lift several cars at once. He felt drained and powerless. As he rolled over for a moment of comfort, he saw Pollux walk in, Cody in his arms. “Thank god he’s safe.” Tim said, sighing in relief. 

“Of course. You know just as well as I do that you do whatever it takes to keep family safe.” Pollux replied, setting Cody down on the bed closest to the window.

Tim nodded slightly, agreeing with the statement, but then wondering exactly what he meant. Hearing shuffling from the door, he looked over and saw a golem carry Merlin in and laid him on another of the beds. After the golems left, he looked at a very concerned Braiden and attempted to sit up, which his body began immediately fighting back on. “Is everything ok, Braiden?” he asked as he mashed his teeth in pain.

Gilgamesh was currently on the bridge, moving the gardens to a high orbit in the hopes of preventing future attacks. His face was wet, eyes red and puffy as tears still fell. His chest felt hollow, and even though he could still feel his own heart beating it might as well not have been.

Enkidu looked at Tim and sighed. “Technically I’m not Braiden, I’m Enkidu. As for what you just saw, well that’s just Gilgamesh being a lying ass. He’s hurt Braiden who now refuses to come back out, so it looks like you’re stuck with me for a while.”

Tim looked very confused for a moment. “I see…” he said, laying back down, his head on the pillow. “So how safe are we? Being as we were just attacked, I’m not so keen on being this broken.” he said, glaring at the ceiling.

Enkidu shrugged as he lay back down. “I’m not sure, though I imagine steps are being taken to make us safer I just don’t know what.” He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, Braiden’s body was in a lot of pain.

Tim closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. His heart rate and breathing both fell to a bare minimum as his body began to recuperate.

Cody had remembered little, a battle of some sorts, then fainting. His thoughts were groggy, and his body ached. He felt the sunlight on his face as he opened his eyes and looked around. The scene was one to take in. Not only was everyone lying in medical beds, but outside the window looked like a space screensaver. Taking a second to calm himself, he saw Pollux sitting in a chair between him and Castor. “What happened?” He asked as his eyes made their way to his fiery Guardian, whose armor and clothes were torn up and bloody.

“They fought off an attack from Corvus. Seems that someone has found out who you are, and I smell betrayal.” Pollux said as he narrowed his eyes. He was in a very casual look, shorts and a long sleeve silvery grey shirt. “I would suggest relocating to a realm other than here for a bit. Maybe Celeska, Realm of the Stars, or even Olympus. Though… I’d rather not make a demand in front of Gilgamesh anytime soon.” He crossed his arms as Cody sat there stretching.

“What do you mean, who I am? I’m pretty unnoticeable.” Pollux shrugged as he walked over to the door, “Think what you want, but you’re not insignificant at all.” Cody shuffled to the edge of the bed and dangled his feet. Looking at the floor, Cody asked Pollux, “So, is Castor gonna be okay?” Pollux stopped, grabbing at the door frame before walking out, “He’ll be fine…I made sure of that a long time ago.” Cody didn’t know how to react to that reply. After a moment, he got out of bed and walked over to Tim’s bed, “I’m betting you did something over the top and crazy, right? Crazy is kind of your style…” Chuckling to himself, Cody didn’t expect Tim to reply, he was asleep and looked to be in a deep slumber.

Tim woke up in a lush paradise, where everything was brighter and thriving. Farmlands stretched around a large castle in the distance. He started to wander around and thought he might like bringing Sam to a place like this someday. After several moments a figure appeared at the gate to the castle. 

“What do you think, blood of my blood?” the figure asked as Tim approached. The man had a blue tunic with silver armor, which was typical of knights of the time period. At his hip hung a golden sword, which seemed familiar to Tim but he couldn’t quite place it. The figure smiled and held out his arms, “Welcome to Avalon, Tim.”

Tim looked around confused, but then understood, Avalon, the Utopia of Arthur’s dreams and the goal of his reign. “That means you must be King Arthur, King of Knights. And one of my ancestors.” Tim said, slight smile on his face. “So, am I dead?” he asked, wondering if his battle wounds were worse than he thought. 

“You are very much alive. I brought you here to help your body accumulate mana. You have pushed yourself to your limits. Also, I have seen you are having an issue with finding a single weapon to use.” Arthur said, having seen the fight from within Tim.

Tim sighed, “It’s easy to find one when I’m using a particular fighting style, but no, I still haven’t found a weapon. That sword Merlin was using caught my eye, but there’s just something about it.” Tim said, scratching his chin.

Arthur smiled, tapping the sword on his hip. “That is Excalibur which has had thirteen seals put on it by the thirteen Knights of the Round Table. With each seal unlocked, it gets steadily more powerful.” 

Tim saw the sword and imagined what it would feel like to wield it. As he felt a blade in his hand, he looked down and saw the golden blade there. The one on Arthur’s hip was gone. He took a few swings, feeling as though he wielded it before. The blade felt unbalanced, so he compensated as he swung. He performed movements he didn’t know he knew, as if he had performed them all his life. 

Arthur watched, grinning as Tim performed the sequences knowing Merlin would have taught Tim though his dreams, as Merlin did with Arthur himself. “That’s it. Nice form.” he said as Tim performed more and more complex sequences. He let out a cheer when he saw Tim flourish as the blade glowed and sent out a small blast in the direction of his swing.

Tim jumped a bit as his flourish blasted outward. He smiled as the sword felt light as air to him. He knew it should have been heavy, but it felt like it weighed nothing in his hands. “This blade is fantastic.” he said, looking at Arthur. 

“It’s yours to wield in the world. As is this armor.” he pointed to the gear that he himself wore. “It’s tied to our shared blood, as the armor and blade were created magically by the fairies. Avalon, Excalibur’s sheath is bound to your body. It’s what gives you the superior regenerative capabilities.”

Tim nodded as it was explained, and he heard something, but he couldn’t quite make out what was being said. He looked at Arthur who wasn’t saying anything. “What’s that sound?” he asked, walking back over to Arthur. Handing off the sword, he said, “That sounds like Cody and Pollux?” he asked before Arthur started waving. 

“It seems that our time is at its end. You can return here any time, all you have to do is dream.” he said, as Tim began returning to reality. 

Tim started stirring, groaning as his body ached again. “How long was I out?” he asked, Cody sitting in the chair next to the bed. He propped himself up against the headboard. “Owwww….” his muscles still aching from the battle.

Cody turned to Tim and jumped out of his chair, pinning him down in a hug. “Dude! You’re alive!” Pollux turned his head to Cody and half-heartedly replied, “Well, yeah. That wasn’t a question.” Ignoring Pollux entirely, Cody continued, “So, how are you feeling? It’s been almost 2 days.” Cody had been in and out of the Infirmary, waiting on Tim to wake up. He had managed to grab a shower not long before he sat down to the chair next to Tim’s bed. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and his hair was put in a ponytail.

“*Gack!* Dude, it hurts when you do that.” Tim said, pushing Cody away. He sighed and groaned. He hadn’t been this sore since he and Sam started their martial arts lessons. He reached over to the table next to his bed and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out and lighting it, he drew off of it and exhaled. “I feel better, sore but better. There is something I think I should tell you all, but I’m not sure that everyone will be able to gather at one time.” he thought back to the night after the battle.

Cody looked a bit confused, “Judging from how everyone sort of gets forced into the same room by a snap or Merlin unwillingly portalling, that doesn’t sound hard though.” Cracking a small smile, he turned his head to Castor’s bed. He had already recovered and left the other day. A notepad was lying left open, which he reached over, grabbed, and brought back over to Tim’s side. “Okay, since you’re awake, I have been writing down cool names for moves and stuff. I have a few that I think you’d really like. I have a move that I call the ‘Millennium Bomb’ that cou-” Pollux appeared behind him, leaned forward, snatched the pad, and interrupted Cody, “Don’t you think rest is important for him instead of bombarding him?”

Enkidu was sitting on a bed next to Tim working on what looked like a crossword puzzle. “Gilgamesh will not be joining us unless it's absolutely essential, I want nothing to do with him at the moment.” 

Merlin had just walked in the infirmary when he saw Tim awake. “Oh, thank goodness…” he said, walking over, setting down a tray of food from the kitchen onto Tim’s lap. It was mostly fruits and vegetables. “I take it you went to Avalon?” he asked.

Tim nodded, “Aye, I went there and also met with King Arthur, my predecessor. Apparently, I am his direct descendant.” Tim drew off his cigarette again before setting it down on an ashtray and started eating some of the food. After a moment of gathering his thoughts he looked over at Enkidu. “So, is Braiden going to be gone for awhile?” he asked.

Enkidu looked over at the others with a solemn expression. “Gilgamesh hurt him rather deeply in an emotional way, so I do not think he will be out for some time. Despite my best efforts he refuses, I am sorry.” ‘Are you sure? You’re friends will want to see you.’ Braiden was laying on a couch in his uncle's mansion, interestingly enough when Braiden wasn’t out this was the form his mindscape took, instead of Enkidu’s forest. ‘I need to be alone for a bit, sort out my feelings. I’m sure they’ll understand.’ Enkidu sighed but nodded.

Tim looked at Enkidu and nodded. “So while in Avalon I learned there are several things that are tied to the magic of my family. Such as Arthur’s armor, Excalibur and-” he touched his chest with a hand. “-Avalon, Excalibur’s sheath. It’s Avalon that grants me my healing factor.” he said.

Turning to Merlin, Tim asked, “Do you have Excalibur?” Merlin nodded, pulling it out of one of the sleeves of his robe. “I hoped you would take up the weapon that is rightfully yours. Arthur asked, before the world of reality and magic split, that I keep it safe until such a time as the world is in peril. He said, his descendant shall take up Excalibur and help bring an end to the demonic horde once and for all. But… there’s a problem with that.” he said.

Tim looked at Merlin with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk on his face. “What’s that? Am I not strong enough?” 

Merlin shook his head. “You are plenty strong. That’s not what I mean. I-” he thought about how to word it. “-I’m not truly here.” he said, which caused a confused expression on Tim’s face. “What exactly do you mean?” “I’m still trapped within the Gardens of Avalon. My projection was only meant to last for so long.” Merlin answered. With a small sigh, Merlin vanished in a bloom of petals from the ground around him.

Tim looked confused. “Ummm…. Cody, any thoughts here?” 

Cody looked between Tim and where Merlin was, “I legit have no idea. Sounds like a problem with you two, not me.” He really had no idea what Merlin meant. He was clearly there, but looking back, Merlin has been distant, if not hollow. Tim’s Guardian never really had a connection, just more of followed him around almost out of obligation from someone else. The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

Tim sighed and looked down at the tray that had been there. “Umm ok…. Let’s see…” he thought about it. “How does one free a mage bound to the Gardens?” he muttered under his breath. “Merlin, Magus of flowers, heed this call. By the blood of the Pendragon line, I free you from the Gardens and bind you to my side.” He said, but nothing happened.

Enkidu looked up. “That’s not going to work, Gilgamesh summoned Merlin once, but that was long ago and for a different reason. What’s your reason?”

Tim looked at Enkidu. “My Guardian? You know, I’m not exactly sure. He helped with what we needed. And I have a lot of questions that only he can answer.” 

Cody was actually caught off guard by Enkidu’s question. He didn’t give thought to why he wanted Castor or Pollux. He remembered the reason he called to them, the feeling of desperation to save Tim, his friend, his brother, his family. “I think I need to get some fresh air, is tha- wait… we’re in space… I’m getting stale air from another room real quick.” He fumbled out the door and into the hall.

Tim looked around, confused. “So Merlin is gone forever then?” he asked, standing up and pacing the room.

Enkidu sighed and hopped off the bed only to have his stomach grumble. “Oh, sounds like food is in order. Shall we go raid the pantry?” He grinned at Tim.

Tim stopped pacing and realized his stomach had been growling for quite some time. A small grin came across his face. “I can make stuff. What do you like to eat, Enkidu?” he asked, starting down the hall to the kitchen.

“Someone say food?” Cody said, peeking his head back around the door.

“I’m honestly not sure, I’ve never had to eat before.” Enkidu looked down at his stomach. “What a curious sensation. To be hungry.”

Tim grinned widely. “Oh this is going to be fun.” He flash stepped into the kitchen and began to cook. After a few minutes, he heard the other two come into the dining hall.

“But that’s the basic plot of Magiterror; Not too overly drawn out, but also kinda messy.” Cody said as he tried his best to explain his favorite game in a nutshell to Enkidu, who looked a combination of fascinated and confused.

“Times certainly have changed. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of the differences through Braiden, but to know for myself makes a big difference.” Enkidu sat down next to Cody and sniffed the air, as he did so he drooled slightly. “Oh, what is this?”

Tim seared two sets of lamb chops and began working on a mint sauce to go on top of the sautéed mushrooms. He also had several different vegetable dishes in other pans, thankful for the large stovetops.

Cody looked at Enkidu, then to the kitchen. Taking a whiff, he smiled, “Meat with mushrooms and a sauce of some sort. If it’s his mom’s recipe, it’s mint sauce. If it is his own recipe, could be anything from barbecue to grape jelly.” He gave a happy chuckle and knocked on the table as he sat down, “Waiter, I am waiting to be waited on.” He turned and nudged Enkidu, “You’re going to love the taste of this Brai-... Enkidu, sorry.” His smile slightly faded.

Enkidu looked down at the table a small smile on his face. “It’s okay. If anything, it shows that Braiden is wanted and cared for. Might even encourage him to come out faster.” Enkidu looked within to see a puffy eyed Braiden passed out. ‘But not right now.’

Tim walked out of the kitchen with large platters of food with a projection of a golem following behind him. “And, food is ready.” he said, beginning to set down the food and taking the plates from the golem. After he removed the last plate, it vanished in blue light. Setting down the last of the food, he said, “Dig in.”

Cody started stuffing his face, happy that Tim was okay. He felt a bit off that Braiden wasn’t around, and instead it was someone else in his body for an unknown amount of time, but there wasn’t much he could do. As he was finishing up his lamp chop, Pollux tapped him on the shoulder. “We need to talk.”

Enkidu had tentatively tasted the food and found he enjoyed it immensely. For a brief moment he thought what it would be like to live as a human and eat food all of the time. But it was quickly dismissed, this wasn’t his body and he technically wasn’t supposed to exist. “This is really good. Thank you, Tim.”

Tim smiled a bit, “I had fun cooking. It’s one of the few things I can enjoy doing fully.” he said, cutting a piece of lamb chop.

Cody stood up and slapped Tim on the shoulder, “Well done. You got the Enkidu seal of approval! But I gotta go.” He followed Pollux out into the hall. There was a large window facing into the vast expanse that was space and, within a flash, they vanished.

Tim stood up, and stretched. He focused for a moment, and he became clad in the armor of Arthur, complete with an ornate sword hanging at his hip. “Oh, what’s this?” he drew the blade and found it was a shining gold blade, much like the one that Merlin had wielded. “Holy shit!” he held up the sword for Enkidu to see.

Enkidu clapped and grinned. “Very nice, good sturdy looking armor and a nice sword to complete the appearance. Now all you have to do is practice and get used to it.”

Tim spun the blade in his hand as he did in Avalon. Sheathing it at his hip, he tapped the plates and said, “And the best part. It’s not a projection. This armor is the real thing, and so is the sword. It’s Excalibur.” he said, grinning.

Enkidu stopped mid bite. “You realize that’s a divine construct right? It was forged in the same era as weapons like Mjolnir. That thing will pack a wallop.”

Tim looked at the sword on his hip. “Really? Divine construct? Interesting…” he muttered, before walking back and sitting down at the table, dissipating the armor and Excalibur. “So, wanna spar when you are done?” he asked, a grin on his face.

“I feel like you might get hurt, but if you’re up for it. Sure, why not?” Enkidu was on his third plate of food still scarfing it down.

Tim leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. The stars were glowing brightly and a question popped into Tim’s head. “Ummm…. Is there air at the outdoor training zone? Considering we are kind of in space.” he said, continuing to look out the windows.

Enkidu stopped eating and looked at Tim with his eyebrows raised. “Please tell me you’re not that stupid. It can be sealed off and pressurized with filtered air.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow at Enkidu and said, “Hey, logical question from someone who a week ago was just a college student.” 

“Exactly, you’re a college student. Should you not be able to at least use enough sense to put things together.” Enkidu finished his current plate and stood up. “Ready?”

Tim stood up and grinned, “This will be fun.” he said as the armor and Excalibur materialized. “Um, just how fast can you run?” he asked.

Enkidu flexed a few of his muscles. “I’m not entirely sure, one way to find out though.” He then vanished his body appearing to flicker in place for a moment. He was at the training grounds in moments. “Huh.”

Tim facepalmed and thought, ‘Why do I even bother asking these questions?’ he then vanished and reappeared at the training grounds a few moments later, having gotten turned around in one of the halls. “Ah, that’s better.” he said, drawing Excalibur and swung it experimentally. Gripping the hilt again he looked at Enkidu and said, “Whenever you are ready.” he said, assuming a neutral stance.

Enkidu nodded and held his right hand over the ground forming a spear and grabbing it. “I will not hold back.” He vanished again, lunging past Tim giving him a small cut on his cheek. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

Tim looked shocked for a moment at just how outclassed he was. Shaking his head, he turned to face Enkidu before swinging Excalibur in a short cut, then lunging forward in a thrust.

Enkidu dodged the cut and deflected the sword before spinning his spear and jabbing Tim in the stomach with the blunt end. “Oh dear.”

Tim’s eyes went wide and he almost threw up at the impact. “*Brech* Damn it.” he said, before stepping back, and looking down at his free hand. “There really is a large gap in all of our power isn’t there. But I have to get stronger to protect her.” he muttered, cursing his weakness. He then vanished in a flash step, trying to catch Enkidu a bit off guard, ending in a spinning slash across the back.

Enkidu flipped the spear over his back and blocked the blow. Spinning in place he roundhouse kicked Tim into a wall. “That’s all fine and dandy but, at your current power, you can’t do much.” Enkidu sighed and waited.

Tim coughed as he collided with the wall, his breath rushed from his lungs. “Damn it.” he said breathlessly. He took several moments to gather his breath again and steady the ringing in his head. Standing, he spun Excalibur and launched himself at Enkidu, swinging at Enkidu’s chest as he flew.

Enkidu sighed. “A direct attack isn’t going to work.” he ducked and spun his spear upward colliding the blunt end with Tim’s chin and pushing upward, launched him into the air.

Tim’s head rang again as he flew upward. “Owwww……” he muttered. Spinning himself, he looked down at Enkidu and thought, ‘This is a serious disadvantage.’ as he dropped to the ground, he thought over his options, none of which were good.

There was a flash and a clang as Enkidu deflected a weapon. “If we take him together we should prevail.” Gilgamesh was armored with a gate open standing near where Tim had landed.

Enkidu glared at Gilgamesh but said nothing as he readied himself, spear pointing between Tim and Gilgamesh. ‘Kick his ass for me.’ Braiden was awake now, watching. Enkidu grinned and tightened his grip. ‘With pleasure.’

Tim looked at Gilgamesh. “What exactly brings this on? I figured you would continue brooding on the bridge.” he said, as he projected and sent weapons flying at Enkidu, before launching himself after them.

Gilgamesh glanced at Tim. “A king needs no one's permission to do what he wants.” Opening several gates he launched weapons in unison with Tim’s and watched as he continually threw more at Enkidu.

Enkidu actually began to move in earnest blocking and dodging the weapons. He spun around Tim kicking him in the back while deflecting a sword from Gilgamesh. Landing back on his feet he charged straight towards Gilgamesh moving out of the way of some weapons while deflecting others.

Tim coughed as he had the wind knocked out of his lungs before standing and walking out of the line of fire. ‘You both have some frustrations to work out it would seem.’ Tim thought as he watched the two battle. He walked over to a nearby rock and sat down against it, ‘My body hasn’t recovered enough to take this much of a beating.’

The battle between Enkidu and Gilgamesh quickly devolved into an all out fist fight. They spent nearly ten minutes beating the crap out of each other with their fists and any other parts of their bodies they could use. It finally ended with them both punching each other in the face and falling to the ground unconscious at the same time.

Tim had dissipated his armor and was smoking a cigarette when they both dropped to the ground. ‘I wonder if they worked out a lot of it. Probably not, but just to be safe, should probably check to see if Braiden’s body is badly broken.’ he stood and groaned, before walking over to the pair sprawled out on the ground as they were knocked out. He placed his hands on the ribs and found a few broken. He sighed, and saw that Braiden’s face was bloody and broken. He looked at Gilgamesh and said, “I doubt this is the end of it, but you both really need to figure this thing out.” he stood and walked back into the building and sighed, ‘This will definitely cause problems in the future.’

Gilgamesh and Enkidu came to at the same time with Enkidu speaking first. “Fine, I accept your apology but it’s Braiden you’ll have to work on.” Enkidu for a moment blocked Braiden’s perception. Gilgamesh stood up shakily having been bruised and broken in a few places. “I know, but I did so much damage and it’s hard to make up for that.” Enkidu tried to smile but winced. “Give it time and don’t give up.” Gilgamesh nodded as he and Enkidu started to make their way to the infirmary.

Castor stood up and turned to Cody, “So, here’s the deal. You’re next.” Pollux facepalmed, and Cody looked in confusion, “Next for what?” Speaking in a monotone voice, Pollux glanced at Castor from between his fingers, “You are the absolute worst at sharing info, you know?” Castor replied a bit hurt, “Ouch, I thought it was ominous enough.” “Ominous isn’t the goal.” “It totally is.” “No it’s not” “Yes, it is.” Cody already saw where this was going, “Okay, can we not right now?” Both the twins looked at Cody and stood up straight. After clearing his throat, Pollux crossed his arms. “Okay, so what Castor was explicitly failing to mention was that you are next in the chain of fate. What we have done for the past few… I think it’s a few thousand years since we got picked, yeah?” Castor nodded to Pollux, “Yeah, few thousand years. We have followed this chain of fate and helped strong individuals become what has been named a Hand of Fate.” Castor interrupted, “And you’re next!” Pollux ground his teeth and continued while trying not to insult Castor, “Anyways… You’re next. Though I don’t believe you’re ready.” Stomping his foot, Castor protested, “But he is, though. You’ve seen how he wields fate like a tool for construction. I’ll admit, he is a bit more immature, but he found ways beyond that of the last person.” Pollux looked towards the walls at a light.

Cody watched him turn, and then looked at the wall as well, “So… I was chosen?” Without turning, Pollux responded with a simple word, “Yes.” Expecting more, Cody walked towards Pollux, “So, what’s with the walls and the light bulbs?” The twins looked at each other, then to Cody. Castor coughed, “Uhm… those are stars. Pollux, you DID tell him where we are, right?” Cody turned to Castor, “He didn’t. Where am I?” After rolling his eyes at Pollux, Castor pointed to a small light in the distance. “See that light? That’s the Sun. You’re in the Celestial Gardens of Gemini.” Cody took a moment to look around. He saw the milky way, and a ton of other constellations. “Okay, this is cool.” He spent a good few moments examining the sky and finding tons of constellations. “So… what does this chosen thing mean?” Pollux turned to him, “Fate is yours to bend and correct.” “Okay, hold on,” Castor interrupted, “You make it sound so… lame.” In a mocking voice, Castor tried to mimic Pollux’s demeanor, “Fate is yours to blahblahblah, You‘re limiting the possibilities.” 

Pollux just glared at Castor frustrated as he continued with a smile on his face, “Look, Cody, you can create. You can correct. You can bend reality with the power of the Cosmos.” Cody looked like he wasn’t getting it. “Okay… what?” Pollux facepalmed a bit harder. Castor’s smile faded slowly. “Yeah okay…We’ll wait till later.” He stood straight and began to glow red, Pollux began to radiate blue, as his hand never left his face. Cody looked at both and was suddenly engulfed within a purple light. Next thing he knew, the light faded and he was in the training grounds.

Tim had almost entered the building, his hand on the knob as he saw a bright flash behind him. “Now what?” he asked, before turning around and making his way to the light. As it died, he saw Cody, Castor, and Pollux were back. “Yo!” he said, cigarette hanging from his lip.

Cody looked up and saw Tim, “Dude, did I miss anything?” He carried on like nothing happened. Castor and Pollux both facepalmed at the same time yet again.

Tim looked at Pollux and Castor as they facepalmed. Shaking his head he said, “I think Enkidu and Gilgamesh worked out their issues.”

Gilgamesh and Enkidu had made it to the infirmary and were being patched up by the golems. “Can I talk to him?” Gilgamesh asked Enkidu referencing Braiden. “I don’t know.” Enkidu looked inward. ‘Braiden, Gilgamesh wou-’ ‘I know, and I don’t want to. He can suffer in silence for all I care right now.’ Enkidu sighed. ‘I know you’re hurting but give him a chance at least, he really isn’t so bad. You have to understand what happened to him.’ Braiden turned and faced Enkidu in the mindscape. ‘I understand what happened but that doesn’t give him the right to be a douchebag.’ Braiden then turned and walked away. “Yeah, he’s not coming out right now.” Gilgamesh looked a little sad but nodded. “I understand, he needs time.” 

Sam had just finished her second lap around the school’s mile and a half track and headed back inside to shower and change before her meeting with her brother. She looked around as she walked up to the dorms and admired the fact that the school’s grounds were covered by a temporal bubble created by her brother’s guardian, Father Time. As she walked through the main entrance, there were several students who were heading out to the field to watch an impromptu baseball game. In the halls leading to her room, there were other students goofing around, dancing to loud music playing with their doors open, and a select few who had Guardians were showing off. Every so often, there were others who would make out in the doorways of other rooms, potential imminent doom brought out the need for companionship and comfort. Ever since the day she got yanked back to the school from the mansion by Dr. Grey, she had asked him for regular updates on Tim. As she saw the couples, she felt a sense of loneliness, longing to be wrapped in her boyfriend’s arms. Entering her own room, she locked her door behind her and stripped down, wrapping her slender body in a towel before starting the shower. As she let the water warm up, she checked her phone which had service due to the school having such a close cell tower. Hearing a knock on the door, she set her phone down and wrapped her towel up higher. She walked to her door and saw her brother standing on the other side through the peephole. Unlocking the door, she cracked it open a few inches, “Yes, Nathan? I was about to shower.” she said, curious as to why he came to her room instead of waiting for her in his office.

“I’m going to start some classes here soon to help people get a bit more refined, instead of sloppily flailing around if a demon shows up.” Nathan said. He was posting flyers throughout the dorms that had sign-ups all over them in multiple areas. “Seems like most history classes are going to be irrelevant until after this whole invasion is over.”

Sam nodded and said, “And this couldn’t have waited till I met you at your office why? You should know my daily routine by now.”

“Except you are almost 23 minutes ahead of schedule,” A man said behind Nathan. “Time, hush. Anyways, I want you show up. There are a few Guardians like Kitsune and Maugis who have volunteered to assist in classes.”

Sam sighed, “Which class did you need me to show up at?”

He passed her a paper and smiled, “Any of them, just preferably more than one. You don’t want to be docked in your grades, ya know.” He smiled and began walking down the hall towards the men’s showers.

Shaking her head, she closed her door and locked it. Looking at the paper, she muttered, “The world just ended and he is talking about grades meaning bupkis.” Placing the paper on the bed, she walked into her bathroom, placed her towel on the edge of the vanity, and stepped into the shower. She let the hot water soak her aches away. After showering, she dressed and laid down on her bed and put in her earbuds, starting up some music. She then pulled out a book and started reading.

Sam’s phone started to buzz as an alert was displayed. *Warning! Demons within proximity. Please seek shelter immediately.* She knew Nathan would be among the first out to fight, but that didn’t stop her from wishing she could do more. This was the 5th alert in the last week. None lasted long, but it only caused more anxiety to her, knowing Tim was out there somewhere. Nightfall was approaching and the classes in question were set for 2 weeks from that day. ‘I’ll find you. Somehow, I’ll find you.’ She thought. She finished another chapter of her book and set it down, putting her phone on the charger and pulled the covers over her, lying down for the night. She set her 5:30AM alarm then placed her phone on the desk, rolling over and hugging a large pillow close. It didn’t have a pillowcase, so she threw one of Tim’s shirts over it. Having his normal smell nearby was among the only things that helped her sleep. ‘I’ll find you…’

Cody looked at Tim, “That didn’t take long.”

Tim sighed, “It’s funny you said that. I was thinking the same thing. But at least it won’t impact the present.” he said before a look of surprise came across his face. “Look what I got!” His armor appeared, as did Excalibur at his hip. Drawing the sword, he showed it to Cody.

“So you can make armor now? Also, I thought Merlin said there was a problem that stopped you…” Cody said as he thought back to the last conversation before Merlin vanished.

Shaking his head, Tim said, “Merlin was mistaken. The sword was in his possession, but he didn’t own it. Apparently, like my armor, it was tied to my bloodline. The Pendragons were the only ones ever able to wield the Sword of Promised Victory to its fullest potential.” he handed it to Cody. “See? It’s real. You can feel the energy radiating from it, though I’m not sure what I have to do to unlock these restraints.” He had a puzzled expression on his face.

“So, basically what I am hearing is you can’t use the sword to its fullest potential?” Cody asked as he held the sword, feeling the lack of power that Tim claimed it had. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a Pendragon, or maybe Tim was the only one who could feel it.

Tim shook his head. “The restraints prevent me from unlocking its true power without meeting certain conditions. I wonder if there was a way to change the requirements.” he asked, taking back the sword and sheathing it at his hip.

“Have you tried asking Gilgamesh? Sounds like he’d know a lot more about it than us. Though, I’d assume the requirements are kind of necessary, like how running Magiterror on a Pannel 95 Operating system just crashes badly.” Cody was scratching his head, trying to figure out if Tim was stuck in ‘new toy’ mode.

Tim shrugged his shoulders, “He has been in the infirmary for a while with Enkidu. Who knows how long it’s going to take them to recover from the beating they inflicted on each other.”

“How long is a while? I was only gone for a maybe at most 10 minutes. And that’s stretching it.” Cody replied. He reached for his pocket, feeling around for his phone. Finding nothing, he sighed, “Ya know, I really am getting frustrated with how regularly I forget my bag and phone. Oh wait, they were destroyed…”

Tim shook his head, and asked, “Why do you need your phone? We get no service since the Invasion.”

Cody slowly dropped his eyebrows at Tim, “And that stops me from checking the time… how?” He shrugged. Leaving a smile on Tim’s face, he made his way towards the infirmary.

Taking off his watch, he walked up to Cody, following him to the infirmary. “Here.” he said, handing the watch to his friend.

“That’s legit the watch your mom gave you. I’m not taking it.” Cody said. He even remembered when the gift was given on Tim’s 21st birthday.

Sighing, Tim put the watch back on his wrist and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, lighting a new one. Drawing off of it he asked, “So you think Gilgamesh knows about this particular Divine Construct?”

“What doesn’t he know about, right? ...Also, a Divine what?” Cody replied. As they walked into the infirmary, they saw a few medical golems walking around managing the medical equipment. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were sitting on two separate ends of a bed and looked like they had just finished a conversation of sorts. Cody smiled and waved, “Sup.”

Enkidu turned and waved. “Hiya, how was your talk?” Gilgamesh paid them no mind and leaned back onto the bed looking bored.

“Not quite sure. A got a lot on my mind so I think it all went over my head.” Cody replied, probably more honest than he intended.

Gilgamesh glanced at Cody for a moment. “Issues with the gods are usually complicated and beyond most mortals. However...” Enkidu flashed Gilgamesh a look. “Nevermind, just rambling.”

“You’re probably right, though. They talked about weaving fate and hands. I kind of understand it a bit, but not really. But I was in space, so that was cool.” Cody smiled. Clearly, the highlight of the chat was the view and not the topic. “Anyways, Tim had a question about his sword.”

Tim asked, “So, is there a way to have the requirements to unlock the restraints on Excalibur reset? Or to know what the requirements are?”

Gilgamesh looked at Tim for a solid two seconds before bursting out laughing. “Oh that’s rich, simply changing a divine construct, next you’ll be asking me to use Ea.” He clutched his stomach as he laughed for a couple of minutes. Finally calming down he looked at Tim and shook his head. “The only way to change it would be to take it to the original forger. And even then, changing a weapon of that level...not an easy thing to do.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow at the outburst at laughter. “Ummm… ok. Who’s the original crafter of this blade?”

Enkidu turned to Tim with an questioning look. “You seriously don’t know who made your weapon. He really is an idiot.” Gilgamesh chuckled. “The sword of promised victory, Excalibur. Crafted by the fairies along with its scabbard, Avalon, which is said to be the ultimate shield.”

Tim looked ready to smack Enkidu but simply sighed and said, “Ok… So how exactly would one go about getting to the fairy realm and enlisting the smith to reset the restraints?” he asked, looking at Gilgamesh. 

Gilgamesh looked up and sighed. “Well, I can teleport us using this fortress but I do not possess that level of mana myself at the moment. I would need assistance.”

Pollux appeared near Gilgamesh, “Mana to transport there isn’t an issue with me or Castor here, but transporting back would get questionable.” Castor also appeared, rested his chin on his knuckle, looked at Tim, and then looked towards Gilgamesh. “If Merlin were here, I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.” Cody leaned against the door frame and started to think. ‘Do I have the ability to contribute?’

Tim looked at Gilgamesh and asked, “How much more mana do you need that you four guardians can’t provide?”

Castor looked at Tim and raised a finger, only to be quickly cut off by Pollux, “Do you want to know how much mana you have compared to Merlin, or how much this craft needs to make 2 trips? Cause unless you can understand how hefty teleporting between realms is, I’d not talk so low of us. Going between realms is already nearly impossible for beings as is. Imagine going between realms that aren’t parallel. THAT is where the cost of mana comes from.” Castor quietly lowered his hand after hearing his brother speak.

Tim looked shocked for a moment, “It wasn’t meant as a slight against you all. I was simply asking a question. From now on I'll keep them to myself.” He then lit a cigarette and walked to one of the walls and leaned against it.

Gilgamesh looked between them. “If it were a simple matter, I wouldn’t have to ask. The amount of mana required to bounce to the fairy realm and back is roughly equal to all of your mana 500 times over, Tim. While you may not have meant it as a slight, I would be more careful of your word choice in the future.” He then turned and looked out the window focusing. Enkidu was sitting on a chair swinging his legs. “I can lend some of my power, I have enough mana to charge this thing up.”

Gilgamesh looked at Enkidu. “A decent chunk of your reserves would be required, transporting across dimensions is no picnic. Thankfully the fairy realm and this one border each other.” Gilgamesh snapped his fingers and suddenly everyone was on the bridge. He then pointed at a red crystal sitting on a rod jutting out form the floor. “That’s how we’ll fuel it. Channel your mana into it and, once we have enough power, I can jump us.” 

Tim, for no apparent reason, seemed drawn to the object. He held out his hand, and instinctively touched it, soon afterward, his body felt extremely heavy. He dropped to his knees, his cigarette falling from his mouth and hitting the floor. The drop cut his ties to the strange object. “Woah….” he said, sitting.

Castor walked over to Tim, picked him up, and walked him over to a chair, “So, we’re going to NOT do that again, okay?” Pollux walked up to the generator and held his hand close to it. His lunar sigil appeared and mana started flowing into it. Castor walked back to the generator as his solar sigil drew out, filtering in his donation.

Cody watched Tim fall weak and just stared, “Dude, are you okay?” He walked over to the chair Tim sat into and waited for a reply, crouching down to get a look at his face.

Tim looked over, “Yeah, I’m ok. A bit drained, but otherwise I’m fine. Gilgamesh wasn’t kidding about the cost.” he said, leaning his head back against the headrest of the chair.

Cody smiled a bit, ”Well, maybe that’s why they replied the way they did to you earlier?”

Tim wiped some sweat from his forehead and pulled out his cigarettes, lighting it and puffed a cloud of smoke, “Well, I ask questions when I don’t understand something.” he said, smiling lightly.

Cody smirked, then walked up to the generator. “So, I’d assume NOT helping is helping, yeah?” Both his Guardians turned to him and bluntly said, “Yes.” They looked oddly focused, as if donating a certain amount of mana was dangerous.

Enkidu looked at the crystal as he walked up to it Holding out his hand, he attempted to transfer power into it but the crystal rejected him and arced lightning at Enkidu’s hand. “Ow.” Looking at the crystal with raised eyebrows for a few moments, he focused on it. “Ah, I see.” ‘Braiden, we have to work together for this, it won’t accept just one of our mana. Since we’re sharing a body it has to be both of us.’ Braiden crossed his arms. ‘I’m not helping Gilgamesh in any way, shape, or form right now.’ Enkidu rubbed his temples. ‘Okay, I get that, but think of it more as helping Tim. He needs to go to the fairy realm to see if he can’t alter his sword.’ Braiden thought it over for a moment. ‘Fine.’ Enkidu and Braiden both poured mana into it, Enkidu doing most of the balance work to ensure that equal amounts of their power went in. After a few moments of all 4 pouring mana, the crystal glowed and made a sort of clicking sound.

Gilgamesh looking over grinning. “And we’re good to go, the click indicated enough power for about 4 round trips. Good work.” He then started messing with a few controls to input where they needed to go.

Cody was fascinated with the whole process. His interest in magic had been growing recently. The more he used it, the more he felt unique. He knew inside he wanted to try donating mana, but also watching Tim, who he assumed had way more mana than him, he didn’t want to harm himself.

Tim looked at the ceiling, “So, what do I have to do to get the Fairy smith to work on Excalibur. I don’t exactly have any standing with them.” He then looked at Gilgamesh.

“Have you tried asking?” Pollux said sarcastically. Castor turned to Tim and smiled, “Basically, the realms aren’t that different then here. It’s not like making treaties or gaining a standing with royalty. Most realms are nearly the same with Earth, just difference in type of population. So, try asking like you would another person and see what happens.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow at Castor. “Ummm…. I’m going to assume that that’s true.” he said.

“If it wasn’t, would I be talking to you like so, or would I be speaking like a slut from Olympus?” Castor laughed. Pollux nodded, “Not many of us are refined…”

“Aren’t you guys Zeus’s kids?” Tim smirked a bit.

“Again, not many of us are refined…” Pollux reiterated as he covered his face in mild shame.

“His kids, the demigods, and grandkids demigods, born of his own offspring that he…. You know what… I’m done with this train of thought. Brings a new form of Oedipus complex.” Tim said, cringing.

Castor and Pollux turned to Tim and gave him a glare that could kill. Pollux begun to move as Castor stopped him, “No, he’s a basic human, squishy and expendable.” Pollux then backed up and turned away from Tim, clearly fuming. “If you want to live, don’t even insult my family like that again. Just as you would defend your family, we would do the same.” Tim could feel the heat from Castor’s words, literally.

Enkidu stepped between everyone. “Now, now. Let’s not fight amongst ourselves, Tim you could have used a better choice of words. Castor, Pollux, he is only human and probably has little knowledge of actual events.” His tone was soothing, almost melodic. 

Castor looked at Enkidu, “I am not sorry for what I said, but I will apologize for my brothers almost murder, which I swear I am not going to let happen today, please.” Pollux could hear Castor push the last part of the sentence through his clenched teeth.

Tim looked over, not really having the energy to lift his head. “I’m sorry, I could have picked better wording. I never have been good with them, just ask Cody.” 

Cody was picking at his fingernails and replied while not even looking up, “Yup, literally always sucked at them.”

Enkidu smiled then looked inward. ‘Braiden, can I use some of your strength to do a thing?’ Braiden tilted his head for a moment before nodding. ‘Sure.’ Enkidu cleared his throat before taking a deep breath and started to sing. His voice seemed to come from every direction and the air felt energized as if it was full of dancing particles. Golden sparkles formed in the air and fluttered around the room as the group found their mana being restored and tensions, both physical and mental, eased. It was as if Enkidu’s voice carried away everyone's worries with the golden dancing air and filled them instead with calm and purpose. After a few minutes, he stopped singing and sat down, sweating and slightly panting.

Tim stood up, feeling rejuvenated. Stretching, he walked over to Enkidu and offered his hand to help him to his feet. “So I take it we have enough power to do the actual dimensional shift now?” he asked Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh nodded. “This fortress holds 6 mana storage crystals. Each one is good for 4 round trips. Thanks to all of your efforts we’ve filled 2, so we’re definitely good.” Gilgamesh went to a console and tapped a few buttons before pressing a ig gold one. Time seemed to freeze, the air seemed charged as the whole fortress distorted and twisted. Everyone felt like they were being compressed into a pin hole as they traversed the dimensional barrier. After what felt like an eternity there was a loud BANG and everything reverted to normal. “Here we are, the Faerie realm.” Gilgamesh turned back and looked at everyone.

Tim looked out, and saw a peaceful and very beautiful landscape. “Woah….” he said. He turned to Gilgamesh and asked, “So…. where do we go for the forging?”

Cody looked out the window, “So, this is what fairy kingdoms look like… I always got annoyed from how everyone makes them so frilly.” Looking around, he saw spectacular scenery, plants unknown to him, and people walking around. Though the buildings were simple in basic design, they looked marvelous in their own unique ways, decked out in creative and elaborate decorative detail. The people had light pastel colored hair and very defined bodies, or so he thought. It was difficult to really tell from such a high distance.

“Humans also have more perverse perceptions of the reality of things. It’s just something you come to except and account for.” Gilgamesh looked at Tim. “You’ll come with me, I know the perfect person and the fairies owe me a rather large favor.”

Pollux smiled, “Well, till then, I am going to visit Eriyl and see if she’s still cooking as good as the last time.” Castor jumped and followed. Cody looked at Tim following Gilgamesh, but then followed his Guardians. He turned and waved to Enkidu, “Wanna join?”

Enkidu looked at Cody. “Sure why not, gives me something to do.” He hopped off his chair and started following them out.

Gilgamesh watched Enkidu leave and his eyes lingered for several more seconds before finally turning to Tim. “Well, better get this started.” He snapped his fingers and they were in the launch bay for Vimana. He hopped on and then turned to Tim. “Don’t speak at first, let me handle this, and then once you are asked questions you may speak.”

Tim beamed, “Well, this will definitely be interesting.” Placing Excalibur’s blade over his shoulder he followed Gilgamesh onboard and waited for the flight to start.

“The fairies don’t like people suddenly teleporting on their land, Vimana is the only way down without being blasted by high magic.” Gilgamesh explained as they went towards the surface. It was a short flight, but the fairies below noticed immediately and a large group had gathered bowing as Vimana landed.

Tim looked around at the group of fairies. “Oh.” He had just now realized the extent of Gilgamesh’s influence over even more powerful races. “So where to now?” he asked, looking at Gilgamesh.

Pollux knocked on a door and a young girl answered. As she opened the door, she yelped and slammed it immediately. “Okay, she’s not home.” Castor and Pollux turned around and started walking to a creek that was nearby, “Get used to waiting until you’re called.” Pollux sighed as he kicked off his shoes and removed his socks, promptly dunking his feet into the waters. Castor joined in the idea, leaving Cody standing with Enkidu, “Should we join them?”

Enkidu was already taking his shirt off. “I planned to, how often can you go swimming in the pure waters of the fairy realm?” he threw off his shirt and stripped out of everything but his underwear before bolting and jumping into the water. “Geronimo!” 

Gilgamesh looked around. “The man we want isn’t in this crowd.” he stepped of Vimana and addressed the group of people. “I’m looking for master Trevan, could one of you direct me and my guest there please?” A fairy stepped forward and bowed low. “This way Lord Gilgamesh.” Gilgamesh motioned for Tim to follow as he started walking.

Tim looked around in amazement. The fairies looked very beautiful. They had pale blue skin, which you wouldn’t notice right away. He cleared his throat, and lit a cigarette before following Gilgamesh.

Cody watched Enkidu hop right into the creek, splashing water everywhere. Castor got drenched, while Pollux watched the water just freeze in place before reaching him. Smiling, Cody took his shoes, socks, and shirt off. He ran full speed and dove right into the water, coming up a moment later to grab some air. “Woah, the water’s so nice. Not freezing like I was expecting. Enkidu, have you ever held your breath underwater before?”

The fairy lead them through the city for a few minutes before coming up to what looked like a massive tree, but upon closer inspection it was a farge literally stories high. “This is master Trevan’s workshop. Please feel free to go in, he’s expecting you.” Gilgamesh nodded. “Thank you.” he then looked at Tim expectantly.

Tim looked in awe at the forge, “Thank you.” he said as his eyes never leaving the forge itself.

The fairy bowed again and left. Gilgamesh entered the shop with Tim in tow. Standing near a bench was a tall, lean male fairy who, while he looked young, radiated wisdom and experience. “Master Trevan, I am here to settle some of the debt your people have to me.”

Master Trevan looked over and smiled. “Ah, Lord Gilgamesh. Always a pleasure, and the young Pendragon I see. What can I do for you?” He looked at Tim at this question. His voice was sincere and gentle almost like the wind on a lazy fall day.

Tim broke from his trance at the question, shaking his head. “Umm… ok.” Holding Excalibur out, he said, “There are seals placed on this blade that have unknown requirements to unlock. Is there any way we can have those removed?” he placed Excalibur on a nearby workbench and stepped away from it.

Trevan picked up Excalibur and looked it over. “It has 13 constraints set on it to limit its power except in certain circumstances that unlock certain seals. The purpose being that the wielder has to be faced with a legitimate reason to utilize its full strength.” He then set it back down. “I cannot recommend removing the seals entirely, that much power can shatter a planet.”

Tim tilted his head as he thought, “Can we simply reset them? Place our own requirements?”

“You mean change the requirements for the seals?” Trevan asked as he started prepping the forge.

Tim nodded, “Yes. I understand why they are there, but without knowledge of the ‘keys’ to the locks, I won’t be able to utilize its power.”

“I should be able to remove and then replace the seals, but it would require reforging the sword, and with one of this level that will take several days. If you’re sure you want to do this, I’m able to. Though we’ll need to utilize your mana during the process, and I should mention the shape of the weapon will change. Are you okay with these terms?” Trevan picked up Excalibur and held it up to Tim.

Tim nodded and looked at Trevan. “It’s better than fumbling around in the dark trying to figure out how to unlock this power. Plus, perhaps the change in shape will make it more comfortable to wield. It’s a bit top heavy toward the tip of the blade. I haven’t used it much before this so a change in shape will be-” he thought of the word he wanted to use, “-welcome.” 

Trevan nodded. “Very well.” He tossed Excalibur into the air and clapped his hands. The sword dispersed into particles and flew into the forge causing it to light up the whole building like a small star. “It will take me about a day to break it down completely, after that we’ll use your mana in conjunction with new seals. I will call upon you when I am ready.” He had magic circles in his hands and was incanting while tapping his fingers and using specific hand motions.

Gilgamesh bowed slightly. “Thank you master Trevan, we shall return at your call.” He then nudged Tim and exited the forge. 

Tim bowed as well, “Thank you.” he said, before following Gilgamesh outside the forge. “So, what is there to do in the meantime?” he asked Gilgamesh.

“This realm offers many things you’ll never find on Earth, however I feel the presence of Enkidu towards the river. Perhaps you, too, will find swimming there to your liking. I have some matters to attend to. If necessary ask anyone to guide you.” Gilgamesh walked off and headed deeper into the city.

Enkidu looked at Cody. “Technically I don’t need to breathe at all. Though Braiden does, so it’s interesting to think about.” Braiden cleared his throat. ‘Hey, since Gilgamesh isn’t around, mind if I come out for a bit?’ Enkidu smiled wildly. ‘You don’t even need to ask.’ Enkidu and Braiden switched and the effect was immediate, his hair dimmed, his eyes became a lighter green, and he looked tired as if he hadn’t slept in days. “Hey Cody, how have you been?”

“Dude!” Cody ran through the water as fast as he could and tackled Braiden, “Long time no see!”

Braiden fell into the water spluttering but laughing. “Yeah sorry, been avoiding Gilgamesh.” He got up and stretched out a bit, the audible pop and crack of several joints was heard. “Funny how when we switch my body changes, I feel like I aged 10 years.” He chuckled a bit.

Cody smiled, “So, first off, no being sorry. I don’t really know what happened between you two, but no being sorry. Secondly, how fast can you swim?” He pointed to a tree about 4 meters down the creek.

Braiden raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure, I haven’t been swimming in a long time. Haven’t even really thought about it since this whole mess started.” he looked at the tree and then shrugged. “One way to find out though, ready when you are.” He went deeper into the water and was ready to start.

Cody looked at Castor, who stood and raised his hand. “On your mark,” Cody got lower into the water and readied himself. “Get set,” His eyes narrowed onto the tree. “GO!” Castor then pointed into the sky and a small explosion went off, signalling the race. Cody began his racing strong. He had done a lot of swimming in college for the workouts and staying limber for running, but having the crystal clear waters of a fairy realm was like a dream come true.

Braiden pushed off the floor of the creek and did his best to keep up, though it was a struggle to keep pace with Cody who clearly had done a lot of swimming. Even trying to use his greater strength to his advantage he still lost, Cody beating him by a few seconds. “Damn you’re quick, that was hard for me to try and keep up.” He smiled and mock punched Cody in the shoulder. “Impressive.”

Cody chuckled, “To be honest, I’m not the fastest swimmer at school. I think Brett Patterson was thinking of going to try out for the olympics next year.” As he looked back to where they started, he slowly turned his head back to Braiden, “Wanna race back?” A smile slowly growing on his face again.

“What? Just so you can beat me again?” He was smiling though as he crouched into the water and was ready. 

“Moreso to have fun, but if I end up winning by chance…” Cody said as he got a head start, laughing before going underwater.

Braiden pushed himself off the bank of the creek using his superior strength. He managed to launch himself next to Cody, the struggle to keep that pace was real. He was giving it everything he had to try and keep pace as his muscles burned and yelled at him. Finally they both finished and it looked to be a tie. Braiden stood up panting. “Damn man, how do you do that?”

Cody smiled, “It’s less your physical strength and more knowing the flow of water. If you focus on using your body to surf the waters, you can go farther than resisting the waters. Or at least that works for me, Brett just told me to ‘Practice more’.” He laughed and turned around to see the twins talking to each other and Pollux smacking Castor upside the head. “You know, one day I want to have a friendship like that. Not the slapping part, but actually have family. Tim tries and is the closest I have, but he’s so distant half the time.” He took a moment and realized how serious his conversation got, then turned and smiled, “Nevermind. How about food? I’m hungry.”

Tim had been wandering the forest trying to find the river. He heard it, but was having a hard time finding it. He looked up and saw a flash of light deeper in and thought, ‘That’s strange.’ he stumbled out in time to see Cody tying with Enkidu in a race through the water. “Yo!”

Braiden looked over and saw Tim. “Hey Tim, how ya been?” He glanced at Cody and gave him a small smile and nod before walking towards the bank.

Tim quirked an eyebrow. “It hasn’t been that long has it En-” he cut himself off as a moment of clarity hit him. “-Oh, it’s Braiden now, huh?”

“Yeah, and I won a few races. At least I have swimming up to par.” Cody laughed. He hadn’t had this much fun since everything happened and, in the moment, he was content.

“No kidding, you kicked my butt in those races.” Braiden grinned before turning to Tim. “Yes, Gilgamesh isn’t around so I’m out for the moment.”

Tim looked at Braiden. “So, what are you guys about to do? You both seem done with swimming.”

Cody got out of the water and started ringing out the legs of his shorts, “I’m down for food. What about you, Tim?”

Tim shrugged, “Just looking to pass the time until I am called back to the forge to add some of my mana to Excalibur. Apparently recreating the seals requires a reforge of the weapon itself.” Tim projected two towels and tossed one to both Cody and Braiden.

Cody dried his hair and threw the towel over his shoulder, only to watch it vanish. “Huh, like it was never there.” He grabbed his things and started walking towards Vimana. “So, how about I go get some stuff for sandwiches and snacks and we each by the creek today? Sounds kinda fountain snack time like at college, yeah?”

Braiden dried himself off and put the clothes back on as he looked up towards the sky. “Interesting to think that for so many years humanity wondered if we were alone and what else was out there. Here we are, on a completely different world and we’re still normal.” He then looked at Cody and Tim with a strange, almost inquisitive expression on his face.

“Kind of like Castor said, the realms aren’t that different. I guess we are just so absorbed into alien theories that we came up with crazy ideas.” Cody said as he turned around, walking backwards now.

“Didn’t that ass of a guy say only I could fly it other than him?” Braiden sighed and went with Cody. “Might as well get a bit of a joy ride out of this thing.” He hopped onto Vimana and sat in the chair, it immediately came to life and hovered there, waiting.

Cody was sitting on another chair while holding his clothes, “Okay, so food or joyride first?” He asked with a devilish grin on his face.

“Definitely joyride.” Braiden tapped on the throne and Vimana lifted off, just as it was doing so Gilgamesh came running into view looking angry. “Who in all the realms thinks they can ju-” he stopped upon seeing Braiden and went a little wide eyed. Braiden turned to Gilgamesh just as they were launching and flipped him off as they shot into the air. Gilgamesh stood there in shock for a moment before grinning to himself. “Oh, he’s interesting.” He turned around and walked back to the city.

Cody was having fun as Braiden was flying all around the realm. The sights were breathtaking, mountains that reached above the clouds, grass that went from green to blue as it reached higher on the mountains, huge bodies of water just as clear as the creek, forests that had trees in colors that Cody couldn’t comprehend. As they reached the Gardens, Cody hopped off the ship and walked towards the inside. “So, do you think he’s mad?”

Braiden shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care at the moment.” ‘I’m all for you being strong, but pissing him off is not gonna help things.’ Braiden looked at Enkidu. ‘He’s the one who’s an ass, so what do I care if I upset him?’ Enkidu sighed. ‘Yes, but you being an ass in return is not going to make him want to apologize.’ Braiden didn’t respond as he and Cody entered the kitchen. “Sandwiches yes? Perhaps some chips and soda as well?”

“See, that’s what I’m thinking! Maybe some grapes and apples, too.” Cody replied as he started loading up one of the baskets in the kitchen. The convenience of everything needed being right there was uncanny, but not unliked. As he finished loading the basket up, he went to lift it only to be met by an unmovable basket of heavy fortitude. “Geez, how heavy did I make this thing? Braiden, are you able to get this, or are we going to have to break it down into 2 baskets?”

Braiden looked at the basket with raised eyebrows. “Trying to feed an army are we?” He went over and to lift it up and found he moved it quite easily. “Huh. Lighter than I was expecting.”

Cody just stared. Not only did Braiden use almost no effort, but now made Cody feel like a wuss. “You weren’t joking by being ‘pretty fit’, were you?”

Braiden added what he had grabbed to a second basket and started making his way back to Vimana. “So, I hope Tim can make a decent sandwich, I’m not much of a cook.”

“Pfft, he’s probably going to look at this and tell me, ‘You have the universe's best ingredients, and you’re making a sandwich?’, and I’ll reply with yes.” Cody said as he imitated Tim’s normal snudy reply. As they got onto Vimana, Cody put his shirt and shoes back on, they were nice and warm from the sun and made the breeze feel that much better. The trip back down was just as fun as the one up. They passed what Cody could only see as a flock of flying lizards near the ground. Once they landed, Cody hopped out and picked up the lighter basket. “Okay, you’re the one packing light.”

Tim had decided since the other two just flew off on Vimana to hop into the river. His clothes over at a nearby stump, he swam and relaxed in the water. He always seemed to have a hard time relaxing since the veil tore, and Sam was ripped from him. ‘I’ll bring you here one day. It’s so peaceful.’ he thought as he floated down the creek with the current. He was careful to maintain an idea of where he was even if his thoughts drifted. Swimming back to his previous spot, he shifted, floating on his back as the two others walked up. “Oh, there you guys are.”

Cody set the basket he had down and smiled. “Yup, a whole collection of sandwich supplies!” He pulled out one of the blankets from inside the basket and spread it out. “Looks like this is legit the best spot to be for a picnic.”

Braiden set down the heavier basket with a small thud and began unpacking its contents. “So, who’s good at making sandwiches? I’ve never been a lunch guy.” He sat down on the blanket and enjoyed the light breeze. “It’s so peaceful here.” He said to himself.

Cody took a moment to enjoy the breeze, “It really is… Okay, turkey or ham? Also do you like lettuce?”

Tim dried off with a projected towel and tossed it aside and quickly dressing. “Did you only bring turkey and ham? What about roast beef fresh from the oven?” He looked at Cody expectantly as he sat around the blanket.

Cody blankly looked at Tim. “Uhhmmm… when in the 20 minutes we were gone would we have had time to make fresh roast beef?” His face broke into a smile as he pulled roast beef from the basket, “Unless it was already there! BOOM! Got ya!”

Tim looked at the pre sliced beef and sighed. “Oh Cody… I still have much to teach you.”

Braiden shook his head. “You really think asshat is going to have poor quality food.” He then cleared his throat and in a poor imitation of Gilgamesh said. “Only the finest for a king.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow as he spread mayo on the wheat bread. “Yeah… Sure. But even with the best ingredients, preparation is key.” 

“While that may be true, nothing I possess will ever be compared to standard mortal fare.” Gilgamesh stepped out from behind a tree standing just behind Braiden. He looked down at the man and noted how tired he looked. “You look tired, some sleep will do you good.” 

Braiden folded his arms. “Oh, so now you’re concerned, oh wait...I’m just your anchor.” He looked away trying to get Enkidu’s attention but noticed he was asleep. ‘Dammit.’

Cody passed a sandwich to Braiden, quickly made, but amazingly so. If Cody knew how to make one thing right, it was an awesome sandwich.

Gilgamesh frowned and closed his eyes. “Yes, you are my anchor, but there is also something about you that pulls me.” He looked off to the side showing a brief moment of humanity. 

Braiden looked at Gilgamesh with a mix curiosity and interest. “What do you...Never mind.” He bit into the sandwich just handed to him to give himself an excuse to not speak. Gilgamesh leaned down next to Braiden’s ear and lightly stroked his cheek. “I wonder how much longer you can deny your feelings.” His voice was that low husky tone that sent shivers up Braiden’s spine and turned his face bright red.

Tim projected a thin wall around Braiden hiding him from Gilgamesh for a moment, “Have we been summoned again?” He asked handing Cody a sandwich. He then set about making his own.

Cody was half way into a sandwich he made when Tim passed him another. He smiled and placed the new one on his plate and continued into his.

Braiden looked around at the wall and breathed a sigh of relief as he calmed himself. Gilgamesh looked at Tim glaring. “Do you feel it wise to stand in my way?” There was a sudden shift in Braiden’s aura as he and Enkidu switched. “Umm, can I be let out of this please?” Enkidu sounded sleepy.

Tim dissipated the wall and looked at Gilgamesh. “he wasn't ccomfortable with your advances. No harm in stopping that I'd think.” He then bit into his sandwich and looked at Enkidu. “I was worried I was going to have to keep Braiden within that wall, Enkidu.”

Enkidu yawned and then glared at Gilgamesh. “I was woken up because of you, and I was finally enjoying some sleep.” He crossed his arms and let out an audible, “Hmph.” Gilgamesh sighed but smiled. “I am sorry my friend, but I have to reach him somehow.” Enkidu looked at him with one eye. “Sexually preying on him is not the key to his heart. Even a child could see that.” Gilgamesh grumbled and sat down on the blanket. He then glanced at Tim. “Make me one.” It was a command, plain and simple.

Cody looked at Tim and smiled, “Yeah, make a sandwich… Think you can make one better than me?” His confidence was surprising.

Enkidu stopped stuffing the sandwich in his mouth and looked at Cody with raised eyebrows. Gilgamesh chuckled. “Oh, here’s another interesting one.”

Tim had assembled a selection of sandwiches as Cody was taunting him. “Take your pick. Cody didn't exactly bring me a lot to work with.” He held out the plate to Gilgamesh.

“Oh, yes, cause almost 200 lbs of food isn’t enough.” Cody had made only one sandwich, but it was twice the size of any of Tim’s.

Tim held up the tomatoes. “These are roma tomatoes. You know I use Globes.” 

Cody reached into the other basket and pulled out a globe tomato, “Did you look?”

Gilgamesh was watching the exchange with a very bemused expression before finally taking a bite from Tim’s and then taking a bite from Cody’s. He sat in silence for several moments as he thought about them. “Both are enjoyable, which is to be expected as you’re using my stock. However, Cody’s sandwich has a better blend of flavors and almost feels like more care was put into it.” He picked up Cody’s sandwich and proceeded to finish eating it.

Cody was honestly not expecting the result, but felt very proud. “Can’t make food without care.” He popped a grape into his mouth and smiled. Glancing over at Enkidu, he felt a bit bad that Braiden had to hide right when he was having fun, but he didn’t let it show. Last thing the two of them needed was another offputting exchange from Gilgamesh.

Tim quirked an eyebrow at the decision. “That has been my issues when cooking for people other than Sam. Can't argue that ‘Care’ isn't an ingredient either apparently.”

Cody looked at Tim and tilted his head, “So, how goes the weapon thing?”

Tim shrugged and finished his sandwich. “Waiting to be summoned back for the reforging.”

“That won’t be until tomorrow at the earliest, he did say it would take a day just to break it down.” Gilgamesh explained as he finished the sandwich.

“Then do we camp out here or spend it in the Gardens?” Cody said as he felt like he was being watched. Turning around, he saw a glimpse of Castor looking from a long ways away. “Be right back, actually.” He stood up and walked over. Pollux had just reappeared and looked uneasy. “So what’s up?” Cody asked. “We all may want to get ready for battle. There are several other realms now under attack, not just earth.”

Enkidu had finished his 3rd sandwich and was humming to himself. “Perhaps we could all play a game? Like hide and seek? Braiden has some fond memories of that game.”

Cody shrugged. “What do we really do? From what I was told, he didn’t struggle to harm us the last time.” Castor grabbed Cody’s shoulder, “True, but he really hasn’t gotten a chance to meet you or Pollux.” With a small smile breaking out on Cody’s face, the three walked back to the picnic spot, where Tim was counting. “What ar- HIDE!” Cody shouted as he finally knew what was going on. Within an instant,the three of them were gone. Over the next few hours, the group played this game with Gilgamesh never losing, but technically never winning. Hiding on another island of the fairy realm wasn’t exactly within the area.

Night had fallen and the group opted to stay in the Gardens for a good night’s sleep. It was quiet, and nothing threatened the realm either, so most everyone got rest. Tim was still unable to really get more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. He kept waking up for a cigarette and not finding any, mainly cause Merlin was nowhere to be had, and his active worry for Sam grew day by day. Merlin was the only one who knew where she was, and he wasn’t there to share anymore. 

The next few days flew by. Braiden and Enkidu got to swap places a few times, allowing Cody and Braiden to bond a bit more, and gave Enkidu some time to learn some random cooking skills from Tim.

Braiden kept having a recurring dream. He was floating in space, or was it space? He would look around and see Earth sometimes, it was hard to tell. He felt he knew who he was, but he couldn’t place it, then his head would hurt and he’d start getting flashes. A chariot, Gilgamesh, the veil being put together, other faces and names he couldn’t place. Then he’d wake up and feel confused, it was all...familiar.

Every few hours throughout the few days they stayed Tim would be called to the forge and would have to input a bit of mana to allow the sword to understand who its master is and what its master needs. 

Corvus was sitting upon his throne on Earth. He simply stared forward at seemingly nothing. He had several guards around him, a few even being humans with guardians. “My lord?” A guard asked. Corvus made no motion of hearing her. “Should we not enslave the holdouts?” Again Corvus made no indication. “They are few and small and we co-” Corvus glanced in her direction and she fell silent. “We shall leave them Arturia, they may cling to what little hope they have left and when the vaunted heroes return, we shall crush them underfoot. Patience, Arturia, Patience.” Arturia nodded, clad in black armor with a spear of spikes. She retreated to her position and guarded her lord.

Castor and Pollux had been in and out a few times, with the use of a mana crystal, to do recon while the others were distracted. One day, Castor came back with dread on his face. “Pollux, grab Gilgamesh and meet me in the bridge.” To which Pollux turned and squinted, “Easier said than done.” Walking up to the forge where Tim and Gilgamesh waited the final touches on Excalibur, Pollux tapped Gilgamesh on the shoulder. “Castor requests your presence on the bridge.”

Cody was stretching while practicing some techniques he learned. Managing to create a purple fire, he tried to capture it in a sigil he formed, just to watch it fade. “Dang… now that I want to be technical, of course it’s hard.”

Braiden walked up behind Cody. “Hey, have you got a minute?” He looked a little unsure but determined.

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Tim, I’ll be back.” He then left and returned to the gardens, a few moment later he appeared on the bridge. “I assume this is important?”

Pollux shrugged, “I know as much as you do.” Castor turned to the two of them and calmly spoke, “There are other realms being taken, Asgard being one. And judging from the recon I did, it’s only a matter of time before they find holes into other realms outside of our parallel.”

Cody turned around to see Braiden, “I’m not making progress at this point, what’s up?”

Gilgamesh closed his eyes and sighed before speaking. “This was expected, I knew Corvus wasn’t going to just sit still on Earth. For the now there isn’t much we can do. As much as I want to just go and take him out it won’t be that simple.” He walked up to a window and looked out over the fairy realm. “Some realms are safer than others. I’ve already spoken with the fairy king, he’s promised to support us should we call for their aid. It does mean exchanging all of my favors however.” Gilgamesh turned around and gave the twins a grave look. “This is not something we should discuss without our anchors, after all, they’re involved just as much as we are.” He snapped his fingers teleporting Cody and Braiden onto the bridge. He held up his hand at Braiden. “I know you don't like me, but there is something we all need to discuss.”

Cody looked around and grew frustrated at the sudden relocation without warning. “Yeah, this is getting ridiculous.”

Braiden grumbled a bit and folded his arms over his chest, he was just about to tell Cody about his recurring dream. “Fine.”

Gilgamesh looked at Castor. “Your full report.” He sat down on the throne, looking expectant. 

“Wouldn’t Tim be needed?” Castor asked before looking out towards the forge way below.

“Technically speaking, but I’m not sure if he’s done with the sword yet.” Gilgamesh replied as he too looked towards the city.

“I’ll go get him.” Braiden left the bridge and a few minutes later was out soaring on Vimana again, and just a few moment after that he landed. Quickly making his way to the forge he entered to the brilliant sight of Tim holding a sword aloft. “Oh, that’s pretty.”

The sword in Tim's hand had the appearance of a medieval longsword. The blade was narrow, tapering to a point several inches from the tip and had thirteen small diamonds placed on the length of it at even intervals. The hilt was about nine inches in length, allowing easy use with either one hand or two, and the crossguard curved towards the blade. “Ok, so I’ll have to discuss with the rest of them about the seals. Thank you again, Master Trevan.” he said bowing and turning, almost running into Braiden. “Oh shit…. Sorry.” he said, nearly dropping Excalibur. “What’s going on? Gilgamesh kinda left quickly after Pollux came here.” He asked as he placed the flat of Excalibur’s blade on his shoulder.

Braiden shrugged. “Some big announcement apparently. I’m supposed to grab you so we can all hear it.” He motioned for Tim to follow as he spun around and started to leave.

Tim shrugged and waved back to Master Trevan again, and followed Braiden to Vimana. “Announcement that he feels I need to hear? Interesting, considering I wasn’t strong enough to summon my guardian fully.” 

After a few moments, they got on Vimana and, a short time, later were back on the gardens. The moment they landed they were teleported to the bridge. Gilgamesh was looking impatient. “Oh, get over it.” Braiden said as he waved at Gilgamesh and sat down on a chair, grumbling to himself. Tim looked between the two and walked over, leaning against one of the walls with Excalibur between his hands and point down to the floor.

Gilgamesh sighed. “Alright, now we can all hear the full report.” He sat down and did his best to settle himself without looking too anxious.

Castor turned and motioned towards a table in the middle of the room. “Gather around, cause I am only going to repeat this once more. So that means both of you, Braiden and Tim.”

Tim shrugged and walked over to the table. “Okay.”

Braiden nodded and moved to a pillar and leaned against it just a few feet from the table. 

Castor looked back to the table, “So, Earth has been roughly conquered with only a few resistances or safe zones. That was something that we originally expected. However, he has made it into other realms. One that is in jeopardy is Asgard.”

Tim's expression dropped. “We aren't strong enough to liberate Earth, let alone other realms. We can't just keep training at the pace we are going, there won't be enough time.” His thoughts kept racing in his head. “And I only bring myself to our little resistance. I feel kind of useless to be honest.” He had a half smile as he said the last phrase.

Braiden had a grave expression on his face. “So, it’s getting worse and while we’re trying to get stronger we simply don’t have the ability to get strong enough before more realms fall.” He looked around at everyone almost looking sad. ‘We can’t give up, we have to try.’ Enkidu was also worried as he was pacing back in forth in his forest. ‘There has to be something.’ Braiden shrugged. 

Cody started to look between everyone. “If this was a game, I’d suggest somewhere we could nearly stop time. But that’s not even possible… Right?” Castor and Pollux both slowly looked at eachother, then both looked at Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh closed his eyes and contemplated something for a moment. It seemed to take a great deal of effort to convince himself to do it based on his expressions. “Perhaps, there is a way.”

Pollux was the first to speak up, “Are you thinking about-” He said before falling silent.


	6. The Vault

Gilgamesh nodded before snapping his fingers. Portals opened above everyone and swallowed them. For what seemed like a brief moment, but also hours, the group spun through a golden swirling vortex before appearing in what could only be described as the biggest collection of, well everything. From gold bars, piles of jewels, weapons, and even vehicles. Anything you could think of was in here. “Welcome to my vault.”

Tim looked around in amazement. Here was gathered the best and first of every piece of technology that mankind has ever made. His eyes lit up at the sight of one of the motorcycles. He had been saving up for one of them before their lives were turned upside down. He walked over to it and ran his fingers over the handlebars and the seat. “Wow…” he said to himself. “If only…”

Cody stood in amazement. Aside from being teleported without asking first, he wasn’t disappointed with where he ended up. There were no words he could find to express his thoughts on being inside the legendary vault. “I… b-... you know, I was expecting a LOT more gold, actually.” Castor and Pollux stood still, it wasn’t their first time within the vault, but the sheer amount of magic permeating the air was always astounding.

Gilgamesh laughed. “Believe me, there is more than enough gold in here to purchase an entire world.” He waved his hands around and things started to organize and move into proper places. “It will take several hours for the whole vault to organize, we can tour some of it for a bit. If you find something you really like, I might let you have it.” 

Tim looked sad as the motorcycle was moved away with the other objects. “What about that one?” he pointed to the motorcycle that he was admiring, before gathering his wits again. “So, why have you brought us here?” he asked, straining to keep his focus on the answer.

Gilgamesh looked at Tim and smirked. “I have my reasons, but all you need to know is that I might be willing to part with some of my treasures to try and beat Corvus. Drastic times call for drastic measures, I’m afraid.”

Tim then pulled out his cigarettes, and lit one, drawing off it, and breathed out a puff of smoke. “Wow, Gilgamesh willing to part with some of his treasures. Just how bad off are we?” he asked, looking at a line of heater shields that passed him by. Tim flexed his hand, a replica of one of the shields beginning to form along his forearm. He dissipated it with a shake of his head. He sheathed Excalibur in a projected and reinforced replica of Avalon. Having had Avalon within his body, creating a perfect replica was simple.

Castor spoke up, “Basically we are not in a good spot right now. There are larger armies forming and headed to other worlds. That, and we can confirm multiple guardians who, for all we know, have chosen to follow Corvus”. Cody turned to Castor, “So, we’re getting… more time, weapons, an upgrade? You’re not really explaining what exactly is going on.” Walking towards Gilgamesh with a letter, Pollux responded, “Well, ‘we’ aren’t, but you few may. Just like the reality you’ve been opened up to, you can’t just assume the Vault holds only physical weapons and motorcycles, it also holds its own dimension.”

Tim shrugged, drawing off his cigarette again, “So, we are going to be training inside the vault?”

Castor turned and was actually shocked that Tim was right, especially from a very left field comment. “Training is potentially the nicest way you could put it, yes.” He smiled as he looked towards them.

Gilgamesh looked around as the vault continued to put itself proper. “I think I should try and keep it organized this time” He then glanced at Braiden who seemed to be staring off into space.

Braiden was currently talking with Enkidu. “I know of several items here that could be of great use to everyone. They each have their own signature. So, if you don’t mind letting me out I can hunt them down.” Braiden nodded. “I don’t mind, gets me away from him.” Enkidu sighed and switched. “Alright, this way please.”

Gilgamesh tilted his head for a moment. “I assume you have something in mind?” Enkidu nodded as he headed off.

Tim shrugged, before he followed his friend. Tim looked in awe as the Vault was still organizing itself. He jumped over a stack of weapon crates. As he got closer, Tim felt a strange tug as something was pressing against his mind.

Cody, Pollux, and Castor followed behind as Enkidu made his way around. So many treasures were moving and sorting themselves out. Amidst the collection, Cody couldn’t help but marvel. An infinite arsenal, a man who became almost a god, his best friend who basically became beyond superhuman. For a moment, it was easy to overlook his own growth and changes. “Hand of fate?” He lightly chuckled under his breath, “So, Pollux, how do I start really grasping my powers? Like, where do they come from?” Pollux halted and turned to face Cody, “So, that’s a complicated question with a loaded answer.” Castor smiles, “Or, you could tell him the truth.” He turned to Cody and waved as he walked backwards. “You’re one of us.” Pollux’s shoulders shrugged. “You’re not wrong, but… oh well. We will discuss that later.” Turning to follow the group again, Pollux looked at his twin. “Pollux, don’t you think that we should really be so vague still? It’s only a matter of time till Hades-” Castor asked with a concerned look as Pollux just looked back at him and interrupted, “Unless we don’t let him. As much as I was against it, I can’t really deny it anymore. He really is. So let’s protect him and get him up to our level, okay?”

Enkidu was heading towards a weapon he felt would be good for Castor when movement caught his eye and he turned to face a person who appeared to be only half there, like a ghost, transparent. “Hello Vijaya.” The man bowed to Enkidu before turning to the group and looking Cody in the eyes, a pleading expression on his face.

Cody looked up and saw a phantom of a man looking right at him. It was like seeing the raw emotion of desperation in physical form. “Uhm… can I help you?”

Gilgamesh looked between Cody and Vijaya. “Oh, I see.” He stepped back and gave them room.

Vijaya appeared in front of Cody and made a motion to touch his head and then a questioning look as if asking. ‘May I?’

Tim stood back, watching as Cody interacted with the spirit. Tim’s expression was one of minor annoyance, as he felt something press against his mind still. 

Cody didn’t know what to really do. “Uh, sure? As long as you don’t roundhouse kick me in the jaw, I’m good.” He gave a slight glance to Tim and smirked.

Tim shrugged. He saw several racks of daggers fly past during the time they were waiting. He looked at one set of twins and smirked. ‘Those look like the ones I made for Sam during one of my elective classes.’

Vijaya touched Cody’s forehead and immediately a lifetime flashed in Cody’s mind. Vijaya showed Cody his life and what happened to him, being cursed and bound. “Will you help me, changer of fate?” Vijaya’s voice boomed in Cody’s head.

“Change… your fate?” Confused, Cody hesitantly nodded. All of the memories that flooded his mind was a lot to take in. It was filled with so much betrayal and heartache.

Vijaya smiled and clapped his hands before erupting in a flash of light. After the light went away a bow was floating in front of Cody.

Grabbing the bow, Cody felt an enormous weight carrying through it, but the bow itself weighed nearly nothing. “All this logic breaking has my brain hurting.”

Enkidu looked at Cody for a moment before shaking his head. “You have a hard path ahead of you.” He then spun on his heel and started moving in a new direction. “Gil, perhaps Castor and Pollux can use THOSE.” He emphasized those so that Gil would understand.

Gilgamesh grumbled a bit to himself before sighing and through a clenched jaw managed. “Very well.”

Enkidu smiled and kept walking towards another part of the vault. Braiden was watching. ‘How do you know this place so well?’ Enkidu looked around. ‘I’ve been here many times and I came to know several objects and their signatures.’ Braiden nodded and sat back on the couch watching like he would a movie. ‘That reminds me, Braiden. We need to find something for you at some point.’ Braiden shrugged.

Tim followed behind Gilgamesh when he stopped. Tim felt his mind being pressed harder the further they went within the vault. “What is doing this?” He muttered to himself.

Cody put the bow over his shoulder and followed behind with Castor and Pollux right behind him. There was a feeling of responsibility growing within him, one of strength, confidence, and weight. Even so, he felt a burden heavier than before. Not only that, but when Vijaya said ‘Changer of Fate’, even more confusion flooded in. As he started to question some things in the past, he shook his head and forced them back as no one else showed the same reluctance towards the future.

Tim looked back over his shoulder, looking at Cody. There was a look on his face that Tim didn’t recognize, but he shrugged. Tim heard a low rumbling as his mind was pressured once again.

Enkidu walked up to a floating staff which was thrumming with potent energy. He then spun on his foot and looked at Castor. “Perhaps this would suit you?” Enkidu motioned to it before stepping aside and looking around the vault for the next weapon.

“The Staff of the First Star? It’ll work.” Castor said as he grabbed at it and the air around him grew unreasonably warm. He then turned to Cody and smiled, ”And to think, one day you could hold this and not immediately burn up.” Pollus walked up to Castor and smacked him upside the head. “Okay, no.”

Enkidu grinned at Castor. “I would think it would more than just work. Off to another one. This time for you, Pollux.” He began making his way through the maze of the vault, obviously knowing where he was headed.

Tim heard a booming voice. “Hear me now, ye of Dragon’s Blood.” The sudden sound caused him to look around. He followed the sound, breaking away from the group. He rounded a corner, finding what appeared to be a Dragon’s eye. It was set in a golden bracket. Tim felt the power thrum off it. He reached down, and picked it up. He said, “How can you speak to me?” he then groaned while the voice boomed in his head. “Telepathy. Only you can hear me unless I choose otherwise.” Tim thought for a moment, before placing the necklace around his neck. He felt a strange probing sensation, and asked, “What are you doing?” His body suddenly felt warmer, and odd… He couldn’t quite place why it felt strange, but the sensation was there. He quickly ran, catching up with the rest of the group. He slid the chain of the necklace under his shirt.

Enkidu noticed Tim come back but said nothing. Instead, he continued on until he came up to a sword and shield. He then turned and looked directly at Pollux but said nothing, closed his eyes, and looked like he was concentrating really hard. ‘We really should find you something while we’re here.’ Braiden looked at his hands. ‘But what? I don’t even really know what I’m supposed to do, so far I've just used weapons and a bit of divine magic.’ Enkidu thought for a moment. ‘Well so far you’ve been using my power, I think I need to cut myself off from you so that you can figure yourself out.’ Braiden leapt up from the couch he was sitting on. ‘You can’t leave me alone with him!’ Enkidu shook his head. ‘He is your guardian, sooner or later you’re going to have to work with him.’ Braiden crossed his arms and grumbled. Enkidu chuckled. ‘I’ll take that as a begrudging agreement.’

Cody looked at Tim when he came back then at Enkidu, who was squinting his eyes. ‘One day, I’m gonna ask him if I can talk to Braiden for a lot longer than 15 minutes. I miss that dude.’

Pollux looked towards Enkidu and just stared. “Wouldn’t you know it, these again.” Looking at the sword and shield, he grabbed each one and sheathed them. Shrugging, he turned to everyone, “Okay, shall we move on?”

Enkidu smiled. “One moment please.” Enkidu focused again and then a sudden burst of light emitted from him and after it faded there was Braiden who looked like he had before Enkidu woke up. He looked slightly uncomfortable and irritated. “Damn Enkidu, doing what he wants.” His aura however hadn’t reduced, instead it was completely different energy.

Tim tilted his head. He could sense the aura, only barely. His body still felt very warm, and he was getting a bit agitated. His eyes shifted color slightly, going from hazel to a muddy brown. He rubbed them, scoffing slightly at the pain. “I take it you are back, Braiden?”

“Braiden!” Cody ran ahead and tackled him with a hug. “Dude, unless you know what’s been going on, I have SO MUCH to tell you about!”

Pollux looked to Gilgamesh and spoke up. “So what’s the plan? If there is one, then I’d like to move forward. If not, I have an issue with Cody that me and Castor should resolve sooner than later… despite my own opinion.” Castor turned to Pollux, “Wait, are you agreeing with me?” “Don’t push your luck…” Pollux replied.

Braiden was moved an inch or so upon being tackled. “Hey, umm. What’s up?” His eyes kept flitting to Gilgamesh cautiously. 

Gilgamesh glanced at Braiden with a look of longing before shifting his attention to the twins. “Actually, I’d like to speak with the two of you before we proceed with anything else.” He snapped his fingers and the three of them vanished.

Tim blinked and looked where the twins and Gilgamesh had been. The burning returned moments later and he vigorously began rubbing them again. 

Braiden visibly relaxed and exhaled. “I know bits and pieces. What’s new?”

Castor and Pollux found themselves in the section of the vault containing strange articles of clothing. “So… is that a thong, or a slingshot?” Castor asked as he looked at 6 pieces of thin leather woven together, “In not gonna ask.” Pollux replied.

Gilgamesh shook his head. “Look, I brought you here to ask you something that I feel like you know about and aren’t telling me.” He glared accusingly at the twins. “Braiden and Cody have similar auras, and I mean the kind of similarity that screams related. Explain that one.” He crossed his arms and stood waiting expectantly.

Pollux slowly tilted his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what you mean. There’s no trace of Zeus or his bloodline on Braiden. And with Cody…” Pollux said as his sentence trailed off, “Pollux, take a moment and think. The chance of them being related is almost, if not promised, impossible. Dad mated with almost anything, even a tree. The chance he hit the same thing twice?” Castor felt his face twitch with discomfort as he replied.

Gilgamesh shook his head. “It’s not Zeus I’m getting. It’s deeper, darker, and they both share it. It's more evident in Braiden, but I can feel it in Cody, too” He looked towards the direction of the two. “Even now, I can feel it in both of them. Dark, powerful, but strangely not evil.”

“I don’t think I know of anything dark and not evil.” Castor said, Pollux nodding shortly after. They twins began looking at each other, confused at first. Neither of them really knew how to tell Cody that he was born from Zeus, not even when, but being the way the world was, soon was the best choice. And even then, for being a demigod, he was a wimp.

Gilgamesh sighed. “Very well, I’ll accept your lack of knowledge because I can tell it's truthful. But I’m still convinced they’re related in some way.” He snapped his fingers and they were back with the group and Cody was in the middle of explaining something to Braiden, who Gilgamesh noticed was smiling and looking very happy. ‘Why can’t I cause that feeling in him?’

“-changer of fate… and that’s where I lose it. I’ve been told like 5 different things so far, but that one just makes no sense, but then again, logic is just a joke right now.” Cody said. He talked without stopping for close to 2 minutes, breathing in between every other word in a way that he seemed to just not breathe at all. As the twins reappeared, he looked at them and turned back to Braiden. “But anyways, where do you go when Enkidu does his thing?”

Braiden blinked a few times before chuckling for a few moments. “Well, I kind of go into a...mindscape I guess? Looks like my uncle's mansion, and when I’m out it looks like a great big forest that Enkidu resides in.” He then noticed Gilgamesh staring at him and he cleared his throat and shifted to be closer to Cody and to avoid seeing his guardian. “But I’m out because Enkidu thinks I need to work on myself and stop tapping into his power.” He gave a half shrug.

“... Have you tried making up what you wanna do? Like, I’m told I’m a hand or changer or what have you of fate, but I legit throw lightning because it’s fun and I can.” Cody replied, smiling as he held his hand out, causing a small arc of electricity to spit from his fingers.

“I honestly have no idea what to even try. I mean I used a sword for a while but even that didn’t feel natural it was just handy at the time.” Braiden thought for a moment before sighing and turning slightly to Gilgamesh. “Do you….ummm have anything in here that might help me figure out what I’m supposed to be good at?”

Gilgamesh, for a brief moment, felt the impulse to pull everything in the vault to Braidens side, just to please him and help, but refrained. Even being Gilgamesh, he knew that seemed super improper for a king, and kinda needy. “There is an item in here that when touched will resonate with another item in the vault that you are compatible with.” He thought for a moment. “If I recall, it's called the Orb of Revelations. Which is odd considering it is shaped like a cube.” He snapped his fingers and the group was moved to a large Rotunda, in the center was a glowing cube on a pedestal. “That.”

Braiden nodded and walked up to it holding out his hand. However before he could even touch it there was a flash of light and an ancient tome sealed by intricate locks and magic seals appeared before him. Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. “Why would it bring that, I can’t even use it. No one ever has to my knowledge.”

Cody looked in awe. “This feels like that moment a hero in a game is given a book that changes their class into a secret one. Braiden, if you touch it and start archery with no problem tomorrow, imma be mad.” Cody laughed as he crossed his arms. Turning back to Tim, he watched as he continuously rubbed his eyes. “You know that you’re gonna hurt yourself that way. Like-” Cody then smacked Tim in the back of the head, “-That!” Smiling, he returned to his cross-armed stance.

Castor and Pollux looked and were astounded at the way that Cody spoke so casually of Oblivion, the Book of Omniscience. “He has no idea, does he?” Castor asked, “Do you really think any of them would?” Pollux replied, “Fair point…” With that, Castor sat down and began looking between Cody and Braiden. ‘Strange… they look nothing alike, at all, but I can see it. They both radiate a sense of… Wait, I know that power… But, where from?’ Pollux saw a growing expression of knowledge on Castor’s face, but when Castor turned to look at his brother, it vanished.

Tim shook his head, and tilted it looking at Cody. “Really? You try having your eyes burn every two freaking seconds…” he said, rubbing one, keeping an eye on Cody for another smack. 

“It’s called mind numbing migraines. I get it.” Cody said, patting Tim on the shoulder. “They get be-... When was the last time I had one…” He began looking into the distance, trying to remember.

“And here I thought you were taking your medication.” Tim said jokingly. “Turns out you had three voices in your head, not just your own.”

“Yeah, sucks.” Cody said, smirking towards the twins, only to see their faces and slowly become concerned at their glances at him.

Braiden touched the book and, in almost slow motion, the locks and seals opened and the book revealed its pages. He took it and began looking at the strange symbols within. Oddly enough he could understand them. "It says I should…." He held up a hand towards an unoccupied part of the vault. "And then I…." He focused for a moment and a bright purple flame formed in his hand before shooting off. A few seconds later an almost atomic level explosion occurred in the vault sending many of the items flying through the air. Braiden ducked for cover. "SORRYYYY!!!"

Gilgamesh was currently slowing down and stopping the various items that were getting thrown all the while laughing. “This is why he is my anchor.” He showed pure glee on his face.

Tim looked at the spot where moments prior there had been a massive explosion. “Umm……” He blinked three times, then rubbed his eyes again. ‘Shit…’ “So, is that the power of the tome? Or is that your power Braiden?”

Braiden was in awe of what he just did when a voice near him spoke. “Ahhh, a worthy student. We shall accomplish much together child.” Braiden looked around and noticed it was the book. “Wait, you can talk?” A few pages flipped. “Of course I can talk. Now let's use this wonderful power of yours and teach the heathens of the world a valuable lesson.”

Cody watched as the explosion went off. “Now, what do you want to do with that, cause that seemed more explosive than you sound like you’d want to be.” He said as he began to think about how mini nuke fires would be used to help people, running into little to no results. Within a moment, he imagined this feeling of lines, each line having a possibility of a result. It was difficult to understand what he imagined, but he hated how each one felt. Placing his hand on his chin, he thought of drawing a new line. He didn’t see it as possible cause it seemed so outlandish, but he liked the idea. The very next second, he felt that exact thought feel more real, and also collapsed to his knees, drained suddenly.

Castor and Pollux both jerked their heads towards Cody. They felt the same thing at the same time, but Cody falling exhausted for no reason was the only thing that mattered right then. Castor ran up and grabbed under one of Cody’s arms, “Hey, what happened.” Pollux grabbed under the other arm and helped Cody stand. “Whatever you did, let’s not do that again for a while.”

Braiden looked over. “Hey, you okay?” He looked over Cody and the book spoke up again. “Hey, look over here.” Braiden glanced at the book and saw new lines of text. He followed what they said and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder and imagined a flowing white power rolling through his arm. His hand glowed which transferred energy to Cody and eased up the exhaustion. “Woah.” Braiden blinked a few times. 

Gilgamesh looked at the exchange with intense curiosity. “Both destruction and healing. Hmmm.” His mind was rapidly going through ideas on what his anchors power could be.

Tim watched the exchange, his eyes stopped their burning for the moment. “So, Braiden is OP, good to know.” He looked at Cody. “You ok?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. It was like feeling almost everything within me getting forced out.” Cody said as his head throbbed and his body ached. “How… how did you…” Pollux began, but stopped.

Braiden was about to argue when he suddenly felt woozy, his head started spinning and he noticed his nose started bleeding before he blacked out and fell to the ground. 

Gilgamesh managed to catch Braiden just before he smacked into the floor. His expression one of deep concern. “Anyone have any idea what just happened?” he asked the group while cleaning Braiden’s face. He snapped his fingers and a bed appeared that he moved him to. Gilgamesh was frantically trying to stop the nosebleed. “Well?!?”

Tim had watched as the aura around Braiden faded slightly. He couldn't tell what exactly occurred. “Possibly...” he started. He remembered back to the sparring match against Cody. “Is it…” his ramblings were quiet for the most part as he formulated a theory. He sensed someone watching him as he had zoned out.

“I don’t know…” Cody walked near Braiden, not wanting to get too close since Gilgamesh seemed territorial at the moment. “Please be okay…”

Pollux grabbed Castor by the collar of his shirt and dragged him over to Gilgamesh. “Not to make this a bad time, but we all need to talk.”

Gilgamesh looked up from Braiden who now seemed to be peacefully asleep and not bleeding. “What is it?” His voice was quiet, almost passive as he turned back to Braiden’s sleeping form.

“I’d rather not discuss this so close to unprepared ears.” Pollux said, almost bluntly implying Cody.

Castor was coughing at this point from the lack of air.

Gilgamesh turned his eyes to Pollux and his voice was much more harsh. “If you expect me to leave my beloved alone at a time like this, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Cody felt a strong emotion build inside. ‘Braiden is like a brother to me. Gilgamesh treats him so harsh. This just isn’t right.’ That feeling quickly built stronger until he couldn’t contain it. “Okay, let’s get two things straight here. First, I don’t even think Braiden feels the same towards you, so you better respect that. And lastly, if he does feel that way… you hurt him and I will do whatever it takes, even if I die, to make you regret it.” He hadn’t felt so strong about anything quite like that before. Yeah, Tim was basically family, but it was different with Braiden, in a way that was hard to explain. He turned around and walked away, nearly sliding Vijaya off his shoulder as he turned.

Castor and Pollux looked between Gilgamesh and Cody. “There is so much to process right now…” Castor said. Pollux was caught up on the fact that Gilgamesh mentioned the word ‘Beloved’ in reference to someone other than himself.

Tim looked from Gilgamesh to the sleeping Braiden, whose aura had stabilized again. He looked at Cody, then to the twins. “Ok. This is probably going to be taken the wrong way. If you guys only give us half knowledge, when will we be ‘prepared ears’? The world out there is on fire, I'm freaking out because my beloved is out there somewhere, doing god knows what. I don't even know if she is alive right now.” His body was shaking now, he partly felt he couldn't breathe. “My Guardian it turns out wasn't summoned, but instead only partially manifested. And right now I feel all but useless.”

Gilgamesh looked after Cody for a moment before looking down at the ground and softly saying. “I know.” He took a moment to compose himself before looking at the Twins. “Tim is correct, we must all be in the loop. This is no time for secrets, I will even share my theory on Cody and Braiden. If we are going to stop Corvus and save Earth we have to be able to trust each other and share information.”

Pollux shrugged. “If you so desire.” Letting go of Castors collar, his brother fell to the ground and gasped for air. “Next time, I need more than a moment of air to live.” Pollux ignored Castor and continued. “Each Anchor has a Guardian for a reason. As to how Braiden has you, I can’t say. For Cody, undeniably, he is our half brother. I can’t speak for Tim or his negligent Guardian. But as you theorized, Braiden and Cody might be related. Those eyes Cody gave are identical to Zeus’s gaze, not only that, but there’s a connection that even Castor could see.” “Excuse me?” Castor interrupted as Pollux ignored him, “But Braiden is not a child of Zeus. So the only connection they both must have is through the mother. Sadly…” Castor interrupted again, “Sadly, Pollux has no leads. But I have a theory. It’s a loose one, like Zeus’s moral compass, but it’s there.”

Gilgamesh stood up and cleared his throat. “Technically speaking, I am Enkidu’s guardian. Not Braiden’s. That being said, my attachment to him is slowly shifting him to be my anchor. There are some things stronger than a magical contract. Love is one of them.” He blushed slightly but said nothing more.

Tim looked wide-eyed at the twins, then towards Cody. “Zeus? The Zeus?” he looked in the direction Cody was walking, then tilted his head, “Cody? And Braiden brothers?”

Pollux quirked an eyebrow. “Okay… you, in love? How? Or rather, when? That hasn’t happened, and right now love isn’t high on the priority list of Imminent Doom.” Castor elbowed Pollux. “Yes, but unlike some relatives we have, Gilgamesh isn’t 100% god, meaning his human side can still do that thing called ‘human connection’ a lot easier than you. But anyways, if Enkidu was the one to summon you, then that’s the connection. But… love itself isn’t enough to form a connection alone. There has to be another rea-... oh, right. You two slept together. That’d start the effect.” Pollux turned to Castor, thought for a moment, then held his hand out, creating a figure of ice. The ice seemed to shine for a moment as he saw something in it. “Yeah, Castor was right, that started the transfer. But unless one or the other relinquishes control…” Castor turned to Tim, “Well, yes. Though I don’t think he knows. There is never an easy way to tell someone they are a demigod.” Pollux chimed in rather quickly, “God.” Castor slowly turned, “Uh, no. Demigod.” Pollux turned with a dead serious look, “God. Look at Braiden for a minute, ignore Enkidu, and look at his soul. I think I may know.” Castor rolled his eyes and looked at Braiden. His eyes shift over to a bright burning red and his jaw drops. “Oh… Oh no. That’s gotta be a mistake. She-” Pollux grabbed his brother by the mouth, “SHUSH! Don’t say until we know for a fact.”

Cody was sitting on the ground near a fountain. Amidst all the random items in the vault, a fountain was nice to see. The sound of the rushing and splashing waters was calming, something he needed. ‘Why was I so angry at that. I legit could have been executed by him for that.’ He sat trying to understand his reaction when Vijaya manifested in front of him.

‘Emotions are a powerful thing.’ Vijaya’s mouth did not move but his voice was heard all the same. He kind of sat, if you can call it that next to Cody. ‘You care for him like a brother, it is only natural.’

“Okay, but that’s why it’s strange. I’ve known Braiden for maybe 2 months. Tim I’ve known all my life, and I don’t even react that way.” Cody said, slowly feeling conflicted.

Vijaya smiled. ‘We can’t always control who we connect with, and how well. In this case you connected with Braiden on a high level very quickly. There is nothing wrong with that.’ He got up and floated around a bit. ‘Both of your friendships are important, but our connections with people are always different. You will adjust and learn to treat them as they are.’ He mock patted Cody’s shoulder before vanishing.

‘Learn to adjust?’ Cody felt only slightly better. Standing up and throwing the bow over his shoulder, he walked back towards the group.

Braiden was sitting up on the bed conscious again. He looked a little weary but no worse for wear. “Hey Cody.” He waved as Cody was walking back. Gilgamesh was near but looking away from everyone in deep thought.

Tim looked over as Cody returned, brought back from his wandering thoughts by Braiden calling to Cody. “Everything good?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Cody looked over to Gilgamesh and saw a look he never saw before. He felt slightly bad, but not for what he said, more so how he said it. ‘I’ll apologize for my straight forwardness later’. “So, how’re you feeling? Better?” Looking at Braiden, he smiled some.

Braiden nodded. “A bit yeah, though ‘Mr. Not My Guardian’ is brooding.” He glanced at Gilgamesh before grinning to himself and quietly saying. “Perhaps, he isn’t so bad.”

“Mister, what?” Cody asked, confused at the reply, but happy that Braiden was okay. “So, who’s hungry? I know I am.”

Braiden nodded to Cody as Gilgamesh turned around. “I’ll take us to some food, then perhaps we should discuss training?” He snapped his fingers and the group was once again transported through the vault arriving at a spot that had hundreds of buffet tables. “Take your pick.” He sat down at one of them and absentmindedly began eating some grapes.

Tim looked around, wide eyed at the sheer array of food. “Well, discussing training can happen while we eat, I think.” he hurriedly ran over, and stood indecisive over what to eat. Finally he settled on something light, as he knew he would be training afterwards. He had fruit, vegetables and a few pieces of salted beef. Walking to where he wanted to sit, he passed Pollux. “Umm… Pollux?”

“Yes?” Pollux said, waiting for people to sit down. He watched Cody and Castor head to a farther table with tons of meat and chicken on their plates.

“Sorry, holding you up here, but would you mind helping me restore my mastery of sword and shield techniques? I had taken lessons for 15 years, but due to not carrying a weapon, I had to take a practical martial art.” Tim said.

“You’re asking a big request here. To master it by human standards is asking one, maybe two years. Mastering it to where I am, or close to where I am is more like 3 of your lifetimes. However, I can teach you some. Just know that if I teach you, it will be in modern olympian, and I will not often hold back.” Pollux said, totally blunt while looking at Tim. “Also, go ahead and eat a lot more meat. You’re gonna want a substance to burn instead of plants.”

Cody had started an eating contest with Castor, and they were devouring food so fast that is seemed unreal. 

Tim nodded, “Teach me some and I can work on mastering that. As I said, I took lessons for 15 years. Just need to restore my former mastery.” He turned on his heel and went over to the buffet, grabbing chicken and a couple steaks. Heading back to where everyone else was, he sat down and began tearing into his food.

“Former mastery? What earthly masters have you conquered?” Pollux sat down and turned, sounding actually intrigued. Cody and Castor slowed down eating as they heard the conversation start. Cody had seen Tim fight, and even sparred with him, but he never seemed to ask that to Tim.

Tim’s mouth was full of chicken and he had a look that said the food was almost worthy of crying over. Swallowing, he took a drink of water and said, “Let’s see, there was Patrick Dunn in Scotland.” he said, setting down his fork and knife and counting off on his fingers, “Raphael Pearce, Claudia Ellis, Reginald Lewis…” he trailed off, suddenly feeling inadequate by the level disparity of his masters in the past and the one who he was speaking to.

Braiden was interested in hearing the conversation between Pollux and Tim, however his empty stomach and ravenous hunger were making that difficult. He was walking between the tables glancing over the various foods and despite how empty he felt nothing was quite calling to him. He was about to move to another table when Gilgamesh walked up and cleared his throat. Braiden turned and saw a platter of food, everything on it looked delicious. "How did you…" Gilgamesh waved his hand his cheeks slightly pink. "I have certain skills that can come in handy when needed." Braiden raised an eyebrow but said nothing instead he took the plate and started walking to where Cody was sitting. He stopped halfway however and glanced at Gilgamesh who was still standing there. "Thank you...perhaps...you're not all bad." He gave a small smile before moving again and taking a spot next to his brother. Gilgamesh went more red in the face and he felt tingly on the inside, after standing there for a few more moments he grabbed whatever was near and randomly sat down and ate.

Pollux thought for a moment before replying, “I fought Ellis once. A strange young girl, but strong for a nymph. Too bad she was exclusively fighting traditional Elven and Nymphian. Had she shown more savagery, she could have been a grand fighter, but defensive combat will get you killed. One of the reasons martial arts fails against me.” He tapped his chin a bit before looking at Tim again. “If you beat her, you have the mentality to stray from a set fighting style. Not many will, but that’ll give you an edge… for about 22 seconds.”

Braiden was enjoying his chicken caesar salad while watching Cody and Castor down food at a ridiculous pace. He made a mental note to never challenge either of them to an eating contest. He was finishing his salad when he glanced over to Tim and Pollux and caught up on their conversation. He sat there and wondered if he would be able to train. He had this book and abilities that he didn’t know how to properly use without draining himself. He looked at said book knowing full well it could talk and wondered if he could ask it for help. Braiden then looked up at two people who already used magic and cleared his throat. “Cody, Castor, would you two be willing to help me train seeing as you’re the more magically inclined?”

“Sure, but you’re gonna need bigger explosions then what you showed earlier to impress me.” Castor said as he chuckled. Cody looked at him and smiled warmly, “I dunno how much I can really train since I’m still learning, but I’ll share what I figure out.” He elbowed Braiden lightly and grinned before getting heavily involved in the food again.

Tim tilted his head, taking in what Pollux said, “Defenses aren’t the only way to fight, that’s why Claudia lost. She also wasn’t expecting that last shield strike, but yeah. I found flaws in each of their fighting styles, and incorporated strikes from the ones I learned before, forming a hybrid style. Wait, did you say Nymph? And she used elven fighting?” Tim looked at Pollux, mad at himself for not catching those sooner.

“The fact that the first and last thing you questioned was the style says a lot. But just cause you found flaws doesn’t mean you were victorious on your own merits.” Pollux added. “Victory by skill and power are primary. Hunting for windows in their skill and power means you can’t be victorious on your own. They are controlling the fight and you are following their rules when to attack. Had she used that to her advantage, you’d never have beaten her.” Finishing his statement, he took a huge bite of steak. He didn’t mean to come across as an ass, but training the best meant he had to be the best. Self analysis was key to that.

Tim thought for a moment, chewing on a bite of steak. “Before the veil tore, I didn’t have the power I currently do. Even so I feel… I don’t know… incomplete?” He cut another piece of steak and ate, chewing thoughtfully.

“That’s actually a feeling that I can relate to.” Castor butted in, “Between me and Pollux, I’m only a demigod by gift. So that feeling is always present.”

Braiden chuckled. "Man, I've got two souls in me and I still feel out of place. So I understand that one." Braiden had finished his salad and was now digging into some lasagna. He turned his attention to Castor while chewing and looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I can try. Though I'm afraid I might severely injure myself in the process." 

Gilgamesh sitting alone at another table visibly twitched as he glanced towards Castor with a disapproving look.

Tim finished his food and sat, thinking. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and groaned, sliding one out and muttering something about needing more. Lighting it, he breathed in and looked up at nothing in particular. “Then, we should get started. The sooner we can get better, the sooner we can retake our home.” Tim stood and stretched, materializing his armor and Excalibur.

Pollux smiles, “So anxious, and impatient. Enjoy food, you have half a plate left. Plus, I am down for sleeping after this. When was the last time you slept in the best bed ever?”

Cody smiled and grabbed Braiden's shoulder, “Let’s aim for no pain. I’d like you to stay unharmed.” Castor looked up to Gilgamesh and returned a ‘You can’t blame me for any of this’ kind of look.

Tim tilted his head, and sat back down. “I haven’t slept right since this whole thing began.” He rubbed his eyes, which began to burn slightly again. “Plus training helps me tire out.”

“We’ll have to see if I can manage my power without blacking out and a nosebleed.” Braiden lamented as he moved on to his ice cream.

Gilgamesh rubbed his temples and groaned at the thought of Braiden blacking out again. He got up and walked over to Castor and a hushed voice so only he could hear said. “Go easy, yeah? I’d prefer no nose bleeds or planet destroying explosions in my vault.”

Castor returned the look with another hushed tone, “He’ll be fine. He’s a lot tougher than we currently know.” He smiled as his eyes flashed slightly, only seen by Gilgamesh.

“Training will happen tomorrow. Learn to control the moment, otherwise you get lost in tomorrow when you’re living in yesterday.” As Pollux said that, he stood and walked back towards the food for more.

Tim looked at Pollux. “Riddles don’t help make a point, ya know. Besides, looking to the future can’t be a bad thing. Keeps us moving forward, always striving to be a better self.”

Pollux slowly turned to Tim, “Riddle? What riddle? I was being really blunt. Learn to control you right now, otherwise you’ll get lost worrying about tomorrow while you’re stuck living in the past. I didn’t think humans were-... nope. Not gonna go there.” Castor looked at Pollux and squinted, “I appreciate that.”

Cody looked between the two twins and saw some kind of tension, but ignored it. “Tim, wanna see about sparing later tomorrow? I wanna try something with a bo staff, but like… I have no practice outside swinging one around recklessly.”

Tim nodded, “Sure, I don’t have an issue. But I have a feeling I’m going to be hurting tomorrow.” He chuckled and turned to Pollux again, “So, where are the sleeping areas?”

Sitting down, Pollux looked to his left. There was a long path, seemingly going for miles. “Down there.” He smiled with a slight mischievous hint to it then continued into his plate of bacon.

Braiden watched the exchange with interest as he finished his ice cream. His attention however was quickly drawn to Gilgamesh who was walking over with another platter of food. Braiden was going to protest but then realized that he felt nowhere near full. “Odd, I normally can’t eat this much.” Gilgamesh smiled and set down the platter. “Eat as much as you want.” Braiden looked up at Gilgamesh and reaching out, touched his face. He got lost in the moment before realizing what he was doing and quickly retracted his hand, shifting his gaze focusing purely on his food. ‘Oh? Looks like someone is falling.’ Braiden scowled at Enkidu who was grinning.

 

Tim walked down the path, losing himself in his thoughts. ‘I wonder how Sam is doing, with all this going on. Where exactly did she go?’ He kept wandering down the path, and saw what appeared to be nuclear warheads. ‘Ok… interesting.’ He looked around, finding a set of swords, knives, shields, armor, bows, arrows, and spears. “Wow.” he said, confused for a moment. “Maybe I didn’t make a right turn somewhere?” As he thought back, he didn’t see any turns. Being it was the vault, his mind could play tricks on him. He walked over to a set of swords and picked one up, spinning it to test the weight. “It’s light.” he muttered, setting it back on the rack. He picked up a mace, which seemed kind of out of place where it was hanging. He swung it, and tilted his head. ‘Why are these light?’ he set down the mace and lifted one of the heater shields from the wall, and stepped over to the empty area, which was ringed off as a sparring circle. 

Pollux watched Tim leave and began chuckling to himself. “Pollux, he’s gonna keep walking till he ends up 10 miles away.” Castor said, smiling as he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. Reluctantly, Pollux stood up and followed after Tim. “When his Guardian finally decides to show, I’m gonna have to give him a breakdown of what he’s in for…”

Closing his eyes, he thought back to Claudia Ellis. The one who's fighting style managed to stump him the most. Without realizing it, he formed a living projection. An almost perfect replica of Claudia. She assumed her stance and charged Tim, sword raised high, buckler ready to intercept Tim’s strikes. Tim had a split second to dodge her strike, and materialize Excalibur and his armor. Catching Claudia’s weapon on his shoulder plate, he kicked hard, sending her flying back. He hefted the shield, gauging its weight, and came back to it just in time to catch the sword strike on his shield. He kicked again, which Claudia caught on her buckler. He swung his sword as quick as he could at her open side, which she caught on her sword’s hilt, kicking him backwards. As they fought, Tim subconsciously projected the forest they trained in, the clearing where Tim had been sent over the summers. Behind him materialized a cabin of modest size, with a grinding wheel where they maintained the weapons they trained with. A hammer sat against a stump where a handful of rivets, planks and iron strips were laying. He caught another sword strike on his shield and pushed hard, sending her flying back. They clashed for several minutes, neither tiring, the sounds of strikes on shields, shield strikes on shields and sword on sword parries ringing through the forest.

Pollux has been watching this all go down for about 15 minutes. He watched as Tim had failed to gain the upper hand countless times. Disappointed, he reached forward, summoned a sword made of ice, and ran in shattering the projection of Ellis and then swinging at Tim, connecting with his shield and sending him flying back 50 feet into a tree.

Tim hit the tree, which winded him. Gasping, he stood, shakily at first. “Owww…” he groaned, as his vision flickered from seeing double to normal. “Shit… that hurt.” Looking around, he saw Pollux standing in the clearing, holding a sword of ice. “What was that for?” he asked, walking out from the set of trees he was thrown into.

“Learn to control the moment, otherwise you get lost in tomorrow when you’re living in yesterday.” Pollux simply stated. “You’re very first lesson is being ignored.”

Tim shook his head, sheathing Excalibur. “I’m not living in yesterday. I want to get stronger today, because there is a future I want to secure.” His thoughts were pulled to daydreams he often drifted to. Unconsciously, an image of him and Sam started to appear in front of him. His face went slightly red from the embarrassment that he wasn’t in complete control of his powers, and that a private thought was just made public. He stepped forward and the image vanished.

Shrugging with slight annoyance, Pollux cringed, “Out of order. Learn to control the moment, otherwise you get lost in tomorrow when you’re living in yesterday.” He watched the images of Tim and Sam vanish. ‘Control isn’t even the first thing he needs to learn…’ He thought.

Clearly frustrated, Tim asked with more anger than he meant to put behind it. “Are you going to tell me what that means? Or do I have to take even more time than we have to figure it out?”

Pollux rubbed his temples and sighed. “Okay, so there’s nothing cryptic about it. It’s a blunt statement. But for today, just relax.” He vanished in a burst of ice.

Tim rubbed his temples, groaning as he thought about what Pollux said. “Blunt cryptic statement.” Scoffing, he walked back into the middle of the clearing, projecting a new replica of Claudia, and he lashed out at her. ‘How can I control the moment?’ his thoughts raced over the phrase. He attacked increasingly more viciously, causing Claudia to go completely on the defensive, a form which Tim couldn’t penetrate before, but now he had the power and strength to go through it. ‘What good is controlling a single moment, when there are hundreds of possible ones, which no one can be sure will happen.’

Cody finished eating then reclined a bit. Looking over to Braiden, he shrugged. “So, if you do actually go for Gilgamesh, just let me know if he hurts you. I’ll make sure he never does it again. Okay?” Smiling, he felt almost content where he was.

Braiden was in the middle of a bite of food when Cody said that. He inhaled sharply and started choking on the food his cough reflex kicking in. Gilgamesh hit him on the back once and he coughed up the food with such force it went flying away somewhere in the vault. “Don’t say things like that!” He stood up blushing slightly. “I have no idea what’s going to happen, already thinking I’m gonna fall for him.” The last part was more mumbled.

Cody kept his comment to himself, knowing it’d only make things more intense. He stood and walked towards a random direction and looked up. The expanse of the vaults ceiling was astounding. Solid white as far as he could see in all directions, minus the mountains of items. ‘I’m surprised this isn’t like being inside a bag of holding, where one wrong move and we all explode.’

Gilgamesh caught up with Cody and walked beside him. “You’re right you know. About Braiden and I.” He wasn’t looking at anything in particular as he said this, and his tone of voice was much different, softer, more vulnerable and more human.

“I know, it’s in his eyes. It’s hard to explain, but I always know when someone starts to fall for someone else. I called it 4 months before Tim and Sam started even showing interest in each other. But the part that throws me off… Your eyes, they show something I’ve never seen before. Not that I can place it totally. But…” Cody trailed off as he looked forwards towards the distance, “...It’s almost like a first-time hope.” Turning to walk towards the others, he stopped nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with Gilgamesh and whispered, “Please protect him if I’m not there, yeah?” He then made his way to the group and stretched, yawning. “I am ready for a good mid-term quality sleep! What about you guys?”

Braiden looked between Cody and Gilgamesh. “What did you guys talk about?” Gilgamesh waved him off as he walked over. “Nothing important.” He clapped his hands and the group near him was teleported to what looked like a mansion in the vault. “Pick a room, except the main suite. That’s mine.” He opened the front door and was about to go in but stopped and snapped his fingers. A couple orbs of light appeared next to him. “Go grab the other two.” The orbs sped off as Gilgamesh turned and walked up a set of stairs. Braiden looked at it and grinned before leaning close to Cody and whispering. “I think my uncle's house was bigger.” 

A moment later, a loud clang, followed by a shattering vase and torn drywall could be heard. Cody turned rapidly to see Tim with his sword stuck in the wall. Pollux clapped slowly, “What timing. Oh well, rest time.” He walked right by everyone and to a room, Castor shortly sighed as he walked towards the hallway. “Uhm… okay. Well there’s a room with a cool design on the door, Imma head there. I wonder if there’s bunk beds.”

Tim pulled twice on Excalibur, freeing it on the second pull. He was coated in sweat, and looked like he had run ten miles. The sword dropped, dissipating just before it hit the ground. The shield, however, clunked on the floor as he dropped it. Tim’s armor dissipated and he panted. “Just need a shower…” he said, walking into the hall, searching for his ideal room.

Cody watched as Tim walked away. ‘That’s a… a large hole in the wall. I’m surprised Gilgamesh hasn’t thrown a car at him.’ With that thought, Cody walked towards the room Castor went towards.

Braiden was walking around a hallway and found a door to a room. He twisted the knob and opened it, freezing upon seeing what was inside. A naked Gilgamesh who glanced at Braiden over his shoulder. “Oh? Come to join-” Braiden slammed the door shut, his face bright red as he walked away to find a different room. Several doors down he found an empty one with a bathroom attached. “Shower.” He quickly stripped and was enjoying a hot shower for the first time in what felt like years. After taking far longer than he normally does he laid down on the bed and was asleep before his head settled in the pillow.

Tim showered, letting the hot water run down his body, soothing his now aching muscles. Drying and dressing, he laid down on the bed and his thoughts drifted back to Sam, wondering what she was doing, who she was with, where she was…. “Where… are...” he slowly drifted off to his dreams, where he could control what he wanted. 

Tim was floating in a void again. His mind was calm finally, though his mind did drift back to Earth, though not a frantic rush. His mind opened back up into Avalon, where he saw Arthur standing looking out over the tower at the large castle, clad in a simple tunic, belt, leather gloves, and leather boots. His cloak was billowing behind him in the wind. “Welcome back, Tim.” Arthur’s head remained fixed on the amazing view. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Tim nodded, walking up and standing beside his ancestor, admiring the view. “It is.” Tim stood there for a few moments in silence. His mouth started to open, and closed again as he found no words to say what was on his mind. A chuckle sounded from the man beside him. 

“You are wondering why your powers have started going haywire.” Arthur said, turning from the view to look over his descendant. “Yes, even I can see the conflict that goes on inside your body and mind. Though, what the conflict is about, I cannot say.” He continued to stare at Tim, when his eyes flickered to deep ruby red momentarily, before reverting to the slitted blue of normal. “Strange indeed.”

Tim shifted uneasy under his ancestor's gaze. “Ummm… so anyways… Any insight into my next move?” He asked, “One of the Guardians have agreed to begin training me in more aggressive fighting styles, Olympian I believe he called it.”

“Heracles? Achilles?” Arthur asked.

Shaking his head Tim said, “Pollux.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and said, “Never heard of him.”

“Well, he did what many others couldn't, he threw me like I was a rag doll.”

“Well, the best advice I can give is to take it one day at a time.” Turning to Tim, Arthur offered his hand and Tim shook it, before everything went dark and Tim felt his body waking up.


End file.
